


Memory Blank Untold

by Kawaii_Chibi_InuDemon



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:02:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 43
Words: 70,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27425395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kawaii_Chibi_InuDemon/pseuds/Kawaii_Chibi_InuDemon
Summary: What if instead of having Danny go back thru the portal after making her regretted wish, Sam takes his spot in the machine that makes her the ghost while Danny gets to stay human? What would the Goth do with all the information she has on what the future holds? The first couple chapters are following the episode until the moment that everything changed....





	1. Chapter 1

"There are days that I wish I had never met you!" Sam regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth, but at that moment she was so mad that she couldn't see straight. Taking the purple scooter's handles she refused to look at Danny who still stood in the middle of the fountain. She stomped off as the halfa looked at her regretful, his own words drowned out as she drove off. Sam held the handlebars tightly as the tears blurred her vision. She was so mad at him with his accusations! First he had blown off plans they had made days prior just to go some Ice Queen's stupid birthday and not just him, but he had made her promise to go with them! It had started off as a bad day with their idiot friend accusing her of being the one that made their raven haired friend into what he was today. A halfa! How had that been her fault?

"I hate them all!" she hissed under her breath as she disappeared down the street. "Whatever." She knew that like everyday the argument would be forgotten, the pair of males never liked it when she was pissed off. Sam was a nice person to those she cared about, but even then she was one that was downright hateful when someone made her mad. Turning the corner she failed to notice the ghost that had been tailing her all day, making all of her wishes come true.

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Danny stood in the middle of the fountain long after Sam had left, his pale blue eyes watching her retreating form. Just as he made a move to get out, the water before him began to smoke, the green smoke rising to form a familiar figure, except this time she was bigger.

"Desiree!" the halfa gasped as he transformed, the white rings changing him to the Phantom. "You look different..." She smirked.

"More powerful," she responded. "Why yes." She looked pleased with herself as she looked down at the ghost fighter. "And that's not the best part about it yet!" She motioned to the skies with her hands. "Only days away from the day of the meteor shower where everyone will be making wishes!" Her blue ghost tail came out, snapping around the halfa before pulling him up high and then throwing him on the ground feet from her.

"What do you want?!" he demanded as he attempted to get back up. This question seemed to amuse the wishing ghost as she leaned real close to him.

"For you to be gone before Friday, but," she said as she leaned away, her smile transforming as she made herself look sympathetic. "It's not what I want that is important, but what your little friend wants and she just wished that she had never met you!" Danny's eyes grew wide with that realization as Desiree smirked broadly like a cat that had got the canary.

"Shit!" Before he could move from his spot on the ground the wishing ghost said her words as she threw out her hand, pink energy glowing in her palm.

"So it shall be!" The energy hit him head on, his screams echoing around him as his vision went black.

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As the bell went off Sam walked into the school, her path taking her past Dash and one of his football friends shoving nerds into a locker. Sam continued on, approaching the lockers where both her male friends stood talking. There were days she hated the pair with a passion, those were the days she wondered how she had become friends with two boys, but then again she loved them both also.

"Hi," she said as the two males talked about plans for the rest of the week. They looked over at her, both looking rather confused at her sudden appearance.

"Do I know you?" Danny inquired, his brow raised. Sam glared at him, her mouth scowling as she responded back.

"Really funny. I said I wished we'd never met and now you are pretending that we didn't. Ha ha." Behind her Dash was shoving another nerd into the locker, his friend, Kwan still searching for Mikey, another nerd. The blond football player was bragging about a record.

"No, seriously," the raven haired male stated, his face serious as he looked at her. "Do I know you?" Tucker pulled out some spray, the minty smell hitting her nose as he sprayed a good amount in his mouth.

"And would you like to know me?" He leaned closer to her, his brows wagging suggestively. "My name is Tucker, Tucker Foley as in T F or Too Fine." Sam felt vomit in her throat as she leaned away from him in disgust. The techno geek didn't seem to turned off by her reaction.

"Oh gross. Are you hitting on me?" Holding back the vomit she said, "Ew." Behind her Mikey, a little nerdy guy with red hair was being shoved into the locker on top of his peers, the jock shoving him smirking.

"I wish someone would show you what this feels like!" the nerd cried out as his friends nodded in agreement. Dash and Kwan just smiled. Behind the pair of jocks a vent released pink smoke, the cloud forming into Desiree, the wishing ghost immediately saying her phrase.

"So you have wished it.. So you know the rest." It seemed that although she was happy with her plan she was bored with repeating her saying. Zapping Mikey, she grew larger, the once small human boy a monster with claws like a T-Rex, his skin green with long black hair that fell down his back. He let out a loud yell as he reached for the two males tormenting them.

"What the hell?!" Dash cried as the wishing ghost spotted and flew over to Danny. As she floated over him Tucker made a run for it, his teal eyes wide with fear as he abandoned his friend. Desiree leaned close to Danny, the young male cowering as she said 'boo'. The green ghost chuckled darkly as she flew away from him.

"No powers, no memory... Perfect." As she flew away Sam appeared at the halfa's side, her eyes wide in shock as she informed him of the ghost that had been in his face.

"That's Desiree! She's the wishing ghost!" Danny looked at her as she yanked him closer by his upper arms. "Danny, you have to do something! Why aren't you going ghost?" She was pleading with him, but the look on his face said it all and then he pushed her away from him.

"I don't even know you, kid, much less what you are talking about!" he stated looking at her like she was an escaped mental patient. "What I do know is that I am out of here!" With that last statement he rushed away leaving the Goth alone in the hall. Next to her were Mikey, the monster, shoving Dash and Kwan into a locker while the jocks just sat there cowering in horror. Dash began to tell the former nerd that he was sorry just as Mikey reverted to his human form, but not before slamming the locker door on his former assailants.

"I rock!" the red head screamed as he threw up his arms in glee, before running away and past Sam. The Goth was leaning against the locker with a confused look on her face, but as soon as the hall was clear she opened Danny's locker, her eyes growing wide with the realization as to what was happening. In the far back of the locker was a familiar picture missing one particular person... HER! She reached for the picture, removed it and then pulled a large book from her purple backpack. In there was the same picture, but with her between the two males.

"Oh no, Desiree must have heard me make that wish and made it so Danny and I never met!" She looked aghast at the photo as several other important factors came to mind. "That means he never stepped in the portal, so he doesn't have his powers!" Throwing the pictures into her bag she rushed off to find Danny. "Danny! You have to listen to me!"


	2. Chapter 2

Moments later found the pair rushing down the street, well it was more like Danny was rushing and Sam was trying to keep up.

"Why won't you believe me?" she cried out throwing her hands up in frustration. Moving to stand parallel with him, but not as close as she would had they still been friends. He looked at her, his hands holding his back straps as he continued to walk quickly.

"Believe what?" he inquired as he pointed to her. "That I had superpowers, that we were best friends even though I have never met you?" He went back to holding his straps, his eyes narrowed as he continued to talk. "And you're the only one that knows it?" Sam threw up her hands again.

"Yes!" He stopped on the steps of his house, the large Fenton Works sign glowing brightly above them. Though it was light out the sign was always on. "It's crystal clear!" All Danny did was throw her a strange look before slamming his door on her. Sam let out a sigh of frustration as she began to walk away from his house. What can I do to get through the skull of a fourteen year old boy?! When the idea hit her she face faulted, as she facepalmed. "Fuck."

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Later she approached the table that the pair of former ghost hunters sat, both with large scoops of ice-cream in their hands as they chattered. Around them were their peers from school, popular and unpopular students alike. Sam felt so stupid with her rather girlish getup, but if it worked then she would suffer the humiliation. The pink shoes squeaked as she moved, the skirt making her want to rip it off with the white base and pink polka dots. The top was burning her, she was sure and the bow, it felt like her hair was sticking up. Sucking it up she stopped before the two boys.

"Hi," she said, her voice sounding more like Paulina then Sam at that moment. "Can I join you?" Tucker's mouth dropped open in shock while Danny reacted in a most peculiar way as he pushed his friend right out of his chair, the dark skinned male looking at his friend in shock and at the same time he didn't seem to mind being moved out of the way, as the former halfa waited for the Goth to sit.

"I am so proud of her!" Paulina gushed from a few seats away. "She finally realized that her way of thinking was wrong!" Across the table Star nodded, the blond watching with the same admiration as her peer was. Sam paid no one any mind as she pulled out her purple backpack, her hands beginning to dig as Danny just stared at her like he were in love with the girl before him.

"Here is the photo from eighth grade," she said laying out the two pictures, the difference being that Sam was in one of them, but not in the other. "This is the one from your locker. Notice anything?" The look on Danny's face changed to one that appeared to be complete shock before he answered.

"Yeah, you broke into my locker," he stated pointing at the pictures. "Took this one and then doctored it." He looked loved struck again as the Goth felt the urge to scream. "Either you really like me or... you're crazy." He leaned back for a second. "You aren't crazy are you?" She let out a growl of frustration, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and with a word of warning to focus, shoved his face closer to her book that now lay open on the table. There were pictures of them, all three of them, together at different times, different years. He gave in to her request and noticing on the page before him one that no one had, not even him. It was the portal that his parents had built days ago, one that was supposed to be in-operational. "This is my parent's lab."

Picking up the book he sat there in silence as Sam waited for it to all click. All the images of Danny Phantom staring back at the raven haired male. He flipped another page to see him and Tucker laying together after the Purple Gorilla incident. He flipped another page to see him getting in one of his father's hazmat suits. Looking at her now he questioned, "Who are you?"

"I'm Sam Manson," she said touching his shoulder as she leaned over him to point out the pictures. "A few months ago I convinced you to check out your parent's portal and you became..." she faded off as she looked down at the picture of Danny Phantom, his grin one that was full of strength.

"A superhero," he finished. She nodded.

"But you have ghost powers instead of superpowers," she clarified. "But, we had a fight and I made a wish," she stated sounding rather ashamed at that moment. "That ghost in the school, Desiree, she heard me and made it come true." He looked at her, the wish she had spoken of for some reason coming to mind.

"You wished we had never met, didn't you?" She nodded. Pulling out a metallic green and silver belt she explained why she thought that she was the only one unaffected, a fatal error for the wishing ghost. "So, you still have all the memories and I have nothing?" She nodded just as the room grew colder, the wall to their left suddenly crumbling as a heavyset ghost in a black and red striped shirt entered the room.

"Paaaauuullliinnnaaa," it cried as it looked around the room, teens scrambling to get out. The black hat on her head covered some of her over spilling green locks as it threw out it's green clawed hand, the skin on both her face and hand melted and bubbly looking. Paulina and Star screamed as they ran past the two raven haired teens. Sam looked to Danny, her mouth opening to instruct him on what he should do, when she noticed the freaked out look on his face.

"I gotta do something," she muttered as snapped the Specter Deflector on. Glancing over at the woman rampaging, her claws clinging onto shirts as she looked for the one known a Paulina. Meanwhile the real Paulina was trying to get the door unlocked so that she could get out. Spotting Tucker she reached over and snatched his hat before taking a knife to it. Moments later she was in a mask, Tucker's hat used to hide her face. Taking out the Fenton Nine Tails she let it rip, the device making quick work of the ghost woman as it tightened around her. Yanking the one known as Nightmerica away from where Paulina was, she pulled her toward herself, the boys watching from behind her. Tucker looked confused while Danny looked amazed at her ability.

"That is the hottest female," he stated while Tucker shook his head.

"Crazy is more of what that one is." Sam paid them no heed as she struggled to hold the larger woman captive. As Nightmerica broke loose Sam grabbed into her backpack that was just inches away. Pulling out the Fenton Thermos she pointed it toward the ghoul, successfully capturing her. Yanking off her mask she put the thermos back into her bag just as Tucker and Danny joined her.

"Does that happen often?" the former halfa inquired.

"Yeah, more than you remember."

"Okay, you got my attention," he stated seriously. Sam let out a shout of happiness as she yanked off the pink and white attire she had been wearing, before yanking Danny by his hand and pulling him with her.

"Thank god! Come on!" Tucker followed hesitantly behind them, the look on his face still one of confusion.

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Minutes later found the trio in the basement of Fenton Works, Tucker the lookout as Danny stared into the darkness of his parent's portal. Sam stood off to the side, looking at a picture and setting some dials.

"It's all clear!" the dark skinned male called out as he continued to watch the stairs for movement or sound. The former halfa looked nervous as he called out to Sam.

"Yeah, it's coming along. I figure if we get it just as it was that day that it should go just as it did before." Sam looked down at the picture as the final dial was changed, her eyes staring at the face of a kid, one that looked less than brave as he pulled on his father's hazmat suit. She looked up at the Danny before her and wondered if it was right to ask him to go back in there, to take that same step again only to have to live his life as something he never thought he would be. His school work was affected by it, his health was affected by it and yet, here she was asking him to do it again. "Danny, would you mind coming over here for a moment?" The former halfa looked at her in question. She handed him the picture while she stepped away for a moment. "Could you make sure I got that right?" He nodded and while he turned to look at the machine dials she took another step toward the portal.

"Sam, this looks ri-" he stopped as he looked up to see the Goth stepping into the portal, her look of determination and fear the last things he saw as she disappeared into the darkness. He dropped the photo and rushed to stop her, but he was too late as the room filled with light and a scream echoed from within. Danny couldn't look away from the image in front of him as he reached for her. He may not have a clear idea of who she was, but for some reason the sound of her pained cry seemed to make his heart stop and his stomach drop. "SAM!" he cried out as a green smoke filled the room. "SAM!"


	3. Chapter 3

Sam could feel the pain that entered her body, the feeling of electricity that went through her as her body became numb and her legs shook under her. She couldn't see anything, the white hot pain that flickered behind her eyes making even having them open painful. Closing her eyes she failed to see her bones flash under her skin, nor did she see the look on the former halfa's face as he stood at the entrance of the portal trying to see her. He couldn't seem to enter the chamber as the light disappeared and she struggled to move. It was like her whole body wasn't hers anymore as she forced her feet to move toward the entrance. Although she couldn't see she knew where she was going, her hands touching the wall of the now active portal.

Her hands found the edge, the lip of the portal, her slender pale fingers grasping for dear life just as a pair of familiar hands reached for her. It was relief that filtered in amongst the pain, the relief that she was alive and that Danny was there. Had she had to do that alone she wasn't sure how she would feel. There was still fear in the back of her mind, but having the raven haired ghost fighter at her side made her feel better as she collapsed against him. Her ears were ringing as she felt his body vibrate under her weight. She knew that he was talking, but with the sounds already filling her ears she couldn't understand them and without her sight she couldn't see him.

Sighing, she clutched at his white shirt, her hands barely following what her brain was telling them. She felt her fingers go intangible as she slipped through his hands. The young male clutched at her and she could feel the desperation, which to her was confusing, because to him she was a total stranger. She knew that she still felt close to him, even if he would never know that again. It made her depressed, but as she was drowning in that feeling she heard the sound of the front door to the house opening and the footfall above her alerted the trio to the fact that Jack was home.

"Shit," she heard Danny say, her hearing and sight returning slowly. "My dad is going to kill me!" Sam knew it was right, because as much as Jack wanted his son to follow in his footsteps he still didn't like when the teens were lurking in his lab without him. "You need to change back." Blinking as her sight came back she realized he was right. There was no way that she looked normal, her eyes were probably green like Danny's had been. Looking down she felt a curse escape her lips. She was in all white, her boots, skirt, and shirt like pure snow while her once purple tights were a yellow green like the circle on her chest. The once green lines in her skirt were now purple, a complete turnaround of her original suit.

"I don't know how," she whispered as her voice began to return. "This is go-" She was cut off as Danny kissed her, his lips crashing down on hers with such force that her breath was knocked out, but she wasn't complaining because it felt good. Her eyes grew heavy as the sound of the lab door was thrown open in the distance, but Sam didn't even care because she was kissing Danny! He pulled back, his eyes just as glazed as her own were.

"I call that a fake out make out," he whispered, a blush flaring up on her own pale cheeks as she nodded.

"What is going on down here!?" Jack thundered, his blue eyes flashing as he looked around the lab. There was now a working portal where the dysfunctioning one had been hours before. His eyes fell on the couple standing there staring at each other. "Danny! What have I said about bringing people down here?" The young male was about to reply when Sam spoke up, her demeanor changing now that she was back to her original self.

"Hi, Mr. Fenton, Danny only took me here to meet you, after all who doesn't want to learn how to ghost fight from the best?" She put on a false smile, the man before her changing as he realized what she said. She knew that she would end up having to listen to the big man tell one of his strange stories, but it would be worth it.

"Well, it's always nice to see an avid ghost fighter, especially one so young. What's your name?" She offered her name, using the full version. "Well, Samantha, just understand that Danny knows better so I am going to have to ask you to leave so he and I can have a talk." The Goth nodded before walking away, but not before throwing the former halfa an apologetic glance.

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The next morning Sam sat awkwardly in her chair, her former best friend sitting next to her. Both could feel the strange atmosphere, the Goth feeling like she was going to be sick as her stomach rolled with anxiety. She was just glad that her parents were away on one of their week long cruises. She didn't know what she was going to do if they found out what happened. Not only would they go after the Fentons, but she would probably be an outcast in her family, not that she wasn't already looked at strangely.

"So, what's the plan?" Danny whispered. Sam shook her head. She had no plan, not for this. This had been a spur of the moment thing and not that she was regretting it, but she wished she had thought this through on how it would affect her system because it always seemed like she was going to be sick. Was it because of her ghost half or was there something more devious going on?

Before she could answer the former halfa she found herself falling through her chair, so with a gasp of shock and nervousness she fell sideways just as Lancer turned around. She was screwed.

"Miss Manson," the overweight teacher said, making his way back to her. Sam looked at him from her position on the ground, her head hurting as Danny looked down at her in horror. He had seen it while no one else had noticed, which for the Goth was a good thing. Still she was going to be ripped into and that wasn't something that was good for her. Her temper was bad, but she hated when this particular teacher talked down to her. "I know that you are so super smart that this must be boring to you, but for the love of Vanity Fair don't fall asleep in my class!" Sam blinked at him, her anger bubbling, but when Danny shook his head at her she took a deep breath. "Now, don't forget the meteor shower tonight and don't forget to wear a helmet." As he turned his back the bell rung, the whole class save for the pair and a few stragglers stayed behind. Tucker came over to join them, his teal eyes questioning.

"So, what are you going to wish for?" a blond jock named Dash inquired of a pair of girls, both cheerleaders. The blond female said nothing as the dark haired one looked thoughtful.

"I'm not sure, but hey with everyone at the party making wishes I am sure that I will think of something." That hit Danny and Sam at the same time, both of them looking at each other. Danny didn't know what that meant, but he remembered Sam saying something about a wishing ghost that first day she had approached him and by the look on her face it wasn't a good thing.

"Damn it," the raven haired halfa muttered. "Desiree."

"Um, who is Desiree?" Tucker questioned. Sam explained quickly about how the wishing ghost got more powerful with each wish, her desire to become more powerful the reason she had waited for Sam to make the wish she had. "So, basically the reason that Danny lost these ghost powers is because you got into an argument?" Sam glared at him. That was one thing that hadn't changed. Tucker only saw half of the issue, but she didn't have time for this. She was at a loss with only having her powers less than a full day and now she had less than six hours till it happened!?

"This is bad," Danny stated. Sam nodded, but as her head sank under the floor he muttered, "And it just got worse." She muttered something dark under breath as she disappeared from sight.

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Paulina looked up at her father with open adoration as most of her peers danced out before them, smiles filling the large open space that was her backyard. A DJ stood off to the far right of the open dance floor, while a disco ball hung from a tall pole mounted in the grass. Sam watched from a distance as Tucker sat a few feet behind her and Danny to her left. The two males were watching the party down below, neither of them invited as the Hispanic didn't seem to enjoy their company.

"She almost seems human," the Goth muttered. "I'm going to need to forget I ever saw that." To her right a shooting star passed, the tail shimmering in the darkness of the skies over them. "A shooting star!" She stood, her eyes closing as she tried to force her transformation, no catchphrase because as nice as Danny's was she felt it wasn't for her. As the two glowing rings of white light passed over her body the Goth found herself clothed as she had before and then it struck her. A skirt wasn't a good idea since she would have to fly and well... people would see up her skirt.

It felt so strange to be the Phantom when she had only witnessed it from the sidelines, and the times that her friend had come to her needing to be bandaged up. She hadn't really thought about all the effort it took to stay in the form. Suddenly she had the oddest feeling, like something wasn't quite right. Looking down her jaw fell open at the sight of her legless body.

"What the hell?!" she cried freaking out. When they returned, her legs that is, she relaxed, her feet hitting the ground. She had heard of your feet off the ground, but that was just too ridiculous. As she turned to the pair of male teens she raised a brow, the look on their faces telling her something else was awry. Looking at what they were looking at she found her arms missing this time. "Frick!" Closing her eyes she forced her arms back to normal. As soon as she was sure nothing else was going to go wrong, she informed the two males not to make any wishes. Both of them nodded in understanding.

Before she could say anything more the sound of Paulina's voice stopped her, more stars falling from the night skies.

"Look everyone!" All eyes turned to the skies as more and more stars joined their partners as it soon became a shower. It was now or never and Sam was feeling a bit nervous.


	4. Chapter 4

As the group below them began to make wishes, Sam readied herself because Desiree was waiting somewhere close by.

"I wish I had one of those sweet monster trucks," came Tucker's voice from behind her. Danny was the one that responded, his ice blue eyes looking at the other male in exasperation.

"Tucker!" The other male looked at him in confusion, his eyes wide as if saying 'what?' "She said not to do that!" He still seemed confused as to why it mattered, but when Sam just facepalmed, her lips opening to let out an exasperated sigh Desiree appeared behind the dark skinned male. She grinned as she wiggled her fingers, a yellow Hummer looking vehicle appearing beside the techno-geek. He immediately jumped up, his teal eyes excited as he touched the hood of the gleaming new car.

"What is so bad about this?" he questioned, seconds before the hood opened up revealing rather mechanical teeth as it let out a rather loud roar. Sam shook her head while Danny ran after his friend. The Goth looked up as Desiree appeared at the ledge of the hill they were on. She glowed pink as her body grew larger.

"Not good." Rushing over to the ledge she tried to think of how she was going to stop the wishing ghost when she didn't really know her own powers. Unlike Danny, she remembered his battles and she remembered to bring the thermos, though since Danny didn't give this one power she wasn't sure it was going to work.

"Sam!" came Danny's voice as he ran over, his fear of the ghost before him apparent, but he seemed to want help as he came to stand by her. She looked over at him, trying to get him to leave because as a human he was in far more danger than she was. "No, I want to help!" Her green eyes grew wide at his sudden forcefulness. Maybe some of his courage really did come from his human half. She was sure that as they had grown up he was rarely the one to stand up against someone... unless they were threatening someone he loved... Danny didn't remember her so why would he step up for her?

"I can get this! Just make sure that the others stop wishing!" She pointed to the creatures popping up in the distance with each wish that was made.

"Tucker's on it!" the raven haired male yelled back as he looked up at Desiree. Before he could even attempt to help though a pair of bushes came to life and grabbed his arms. Danny looked at the plants in confusion. "Who the hell wishes for fucking monster plants?!" Sam turned toward the large woman and knew that she would have to take flight to take the wishing ghost down.

'Happy thoughts.' That was all she could think of and that had come from Peter Pan. 'Think happy thoughts.' As she thought those happy thoughts she ran toward the end of the ledge only to belly flop on the ground below. "Oof." She could hear Danny yelling now, his cries one of motivation as he commanded her to concentrate and that he believed in her. How could he believe in her when she wasn't even sure this was going to work?! Moments later though she found herself airborne, unfortunately, she was upside down, her long white locks swaying in the breeze.

"Who are you?" the large Desiree inquired, her eyes narrowing at the new fighter before her. "Wait, you're that girl that's always with the halfa!" Danny's eyes grew wide at the words that were spoken. Sam was glaring at the other female as she began to laugh. "What happened? The little boy too scared to come out and fight like a man?!" As the green skinned female chortled away Danny's eyes grew narrow, but Sam didn't seem to let it bother her.

"No, he just deserved more than to be hunted by a bitch of a ghost!" That stopped the wishing ghost, her green eyes narrowing on the halfa before her. "In fact, not only are the bitch of all ghosts, but you are the least important! You have to use others to get power because you are weak!" Sam didn't know where it was coming from, but she was feeling more and more powerful as her verbal barbs landed their mark. As the ghost powered up Sam attempted to force energy into her hand, but unfortunately she ended up with her ass lighting up like a firefly. "Okay, that will work for now," she muttered as she forced her body around to face her ass at the wishing ghost.

The green energy shot out from her ass like a fart gone awry, but Sam was just happy it hit the ghost. Desiree let out an indignant cry as Sam opened the thermos, but now she was at a loss since she didn't know how Danny had powered it and the halfa, well, former halfa was no use as he didn't remember anything about having ghost powers. Before she could do much more she was struck from the air, the thermos falling from her hands. Danny watched in horror as the thermos rolled by his feet and as Sam was crushed under the giant hands of Desiree.

"Sam!" the former halfa yelled as he attempted to struggle free of his captors, but as he looked back up to watch the wishing ghost answer more wishes, he knew that unless she got up now they were screwed. He looked out over the landside to see that Tucker wasn't having any luck down below, but that wasn't because he wasn't trying. For the first time the raven haired male found his friend actually trying instead of running in terror or becoming distracted.

Her hand was removed moments later to reveal a human Sam, her head smashed into the grassy area. Danny began to struggle more earnestly as he called out her name, but the only thing that succeeded in doing was get the large wishing ghost's attention and with as big as she was now that wasn't good.

"I wish I could remember any of th-" he stopped mid sentence, his ice blue eyes falling on the wishing ghost. Didn't Sam say something about her having to grant every wish? His eyes narrowed as he berated himself for having been a C student all his life. "I wish I could remember how to fight!" The green eyed ghoul looked at him, her hands flying out as she granted his wish. They only problem was even though he now remembered everything he still didn't have powers! A groan was heard as Sam stood up, her cheek cut and her clothing dirty, but she was ready to fight. Forcing her transformation she took to the air, her anger fueling the control over her powers.

"Don't think you got me down!" she screamed as she rushed at the wishing ghost, hands blazing with power as she shot down the other ghost. Desiree was distracted by Danny's wish so she was an easy target. As soon as she was down Danny yelled out to her, telling her how to power the thermos so she could trap the ghost. With a smirk she attempted to do just that, her eyes closing as she concentrated. As the wishing ghost got back up, her monsters turning to watch the end of what had been a short battle, Sam turned the thermos on her. A blue spark emitted from the cylindrical container and then a blast, the white blue blast throwing Sam back a bit as it engulfed the wishing ghost.

With a scream of anger and shock the ghost was gone and shortly after so were the creatures she had created. With a sigh the Goth fell to the ground, her body wiped out from the fight as Danny was released and the plants became normal bushes. He rushed to her side as she became human again, the thermos still clutched tightly in her hand.

"You did it!" the raven haired male exclaimed. She shook her head.

"Wouldn't have been able to without your help." Danny didn't want to take credit for something that he knew he had very little to do in, but looking at the exhaustion that was clear in her now amethyst eyes he figured it would be better if he dropped it. "I think I'm going to ta-" She dropped to the ground, her eyes closing as sleep overcame her. Danny found a smile curling on his lip just as Tucker appeared.

"Dude, she is one crazy girl." He shook his head in bewilderment. "I told you she was nuts." Danny now shook his head.

"No, Tucker, she's crazy, but not in a bad way." Leaning down he picked her up. "Now we just need to get her home."

"Thank god her parents are always gone." Danny looked at the other male in confusion. How had he know that? Shaking it off he and Tucker disappeared into the night as the party continued on down at Paulina's house.

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In a dark movie theater a horror movie played on screen as several people sat enthralled by the mayhem on the screen, but the three ghost fighters sat as close to the front as possible without being right under the screen. Sam smiled as Danny offered her some popcorn.

"I never really knew how bad it was for you, Danny," she whispered. "I knew it was bad, but it's like being used for an energy source. I didn't think I was going to make it." She leaned over and hugged him. "Thanks for all that you have done and all that you do for me." The former halfa found his face growing hot as a blush crept over his cheeks.

"Okay, you two need to get a room because that is just disgusting!" Tucker whined. Sam smirked as she shot a little ray at him. "What the fuck?!" Several people looked at him, most of them shushing him with glares. He muttered something under his breath as the halfa and the former halfa smirked.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny looked out the window as Lancer continued to talk. Sam had left a few minutes ago as screaming was heard down the hall from them. It was another ghost, or so she said it was. He couldn't figure out how she knew that when it could have just as easily been a bug or something. Women did scream at creepy crawlers. Looking back to the front of the room he sighed. This was boring.

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Meanwhile Sam rushed toward the large green mosquito, the large blood sucking animal dodging her at every turn. She had managed to save one of the teachers from it in the school building, but as soon as she got the thing outside it had attempted to fight, the shock from her appearing wearing off. She had been pleasantly surprised that she had managed to turn her and the bug intangible, but equally ticked when it wore off faster than she thought. She winced at the thought of the giant hole in the roof of the school. It was in that moment that the bug shot lasers from it's multiple eyes.

The Goth wasn't new to the whole hero business, but she was an infant with her powers. She had yet to control them fully, though Danny and Tucker had assisted her in learning for the last few weeks. Lucky for them the ghost attacks had been kept to a minimal. Falling back from the blast she looked up in time to see the bug shoot something slimy and green at her, the goo forming a net that wrapped tightly around her. Hitting the ground she found a pair of ice blue eyes watching her in the distance. Danny was still in class, his shocked expression changing to one of nervousness. She couldn't tell why he would be nervous, not like anyone knew who she was... He chose that moment to raise his hand as she forced her arms up to remove the net. It didn't work at first, but as she powered up, her frustration making her more powerful for a moment, she was able to remove the net, the green goo falling around her in a puddle.

With quick thinking she noticed the wires on the poles just yards away from the school. Smirking she took off, the bug in quick pursuit behind her. "Bug..." Flying out of the way of the speeding insect she smirked bigger as it hit the wires, quickly electrocuting it. "Zapper." But that wasn't all that happened. The bug exploded in a large green flash of light. To the shock and dismay of the raven haired ghost fighter a million little bugs, miniature to the original, flew away from her in a large glowing flock. "Just great. I thought I was done with the damn bugs."

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Sam walked over just as the guys were talking, well, it was more like Danny was complaining as he held his nose, while Tucker stood there spraying himself with something that looked like gas. Moving closer she heard him say, "I call it Foley... by Tucker Foley. I made it myself." He sounded proud, but as soon as she got closer to him she gagged. "I made it to combine with one's natural scent to make something both sweet and manly." He sprayed a little more and Sam waited, the feeling in her stomach causing her to pause. "And it smells different to everyone."

"Well, Tucker," the Goth said approaching them. "I think it smells like a sweaty cookie." Danny named another smell he was getting from it and even with both of their disgusting images he still smiled.

"By choice I smell like those," was his final word about the smell before he said, putting it in his locker, "The ladies will be swarming soon enough." At that the crowd around them began to part as the Queen of Casper High made her way down the halls. Beside her stood Dash, the jock that seemed to find great joy in tormenting Danny while Paulina had so much fun harassing her. As she passed Danny drooled, Sam watching the jock and queen with open hostility. The funny thing was that while Paulina continued on Dash stopped at his locker, a small look around ensuring that no one saw inside the puke green container. They walked by just as Paulina made a sound.

"Hey, you are blemishing my flawless skin!" she muttered darkly to a spot on her arm. Sam blinked before making the motion for crazy. They continued on until Tucker stopped, the techno geek staring at the sign above one particular door. It was the nurse's office. Sam sighed, pulling out a bag.

"He hates hospitals," she stated, Danny nodding in understanding.

"But, that's just the nurse's office, nothing like a hospital." Tucker shook his head. "How?"

"Same smell, same clothing and people always are in pain when they're there!" Sam just shook her head as she handed the bag to Danny. The former halfa took it and placed it on his friend's head. They walked past the door, Sam soothing the unnerved male. At that moment someone walked by, Mikey, the redhead smelling the air next to Tucker before making a face. The geek took off the bag with a sigh. "That and all of them have pointy sharp needles."

"Does anyone smell snicker-doodles and gym socks?" Sam smacked her head while Danny and Tucker stated the dark skinned male's new invention, though Danny looked less than pleased about the product. Mikey walked off, his look of disgust melting to one of pity for the man with delusions. At that same moment the Goth's mouth flew open and a small bit of blue escaped. Danny blinked. How had he never noticed that? With his memories restored he still found himself thrown by things that happened to the Goth, like it was something new and yet after he saw it he remembered more about his time as a halfa.

"Is Paulina glowing or am I just now noticing her shining skin?" The pair of males looked to where the Hispanic teen stood leaning toward the lockers. She was muttering something about a bug bite, Danny and Sam looking at each other. He had seen the bug, but he hadn't seen when she had accidentally multiplied them.

"Fuck," the raven haired teen muttered as she watched as pandemonium occurred as student after student was attacked by the flying green ghost bugs. Screams of pain and fear filled the air, while several students began to run, trying to escape a fate that they would never be able to since the predator was a ghost. Running to a nearby room she hollered to the pair of males, the pair running to ensure that no one entered the room she had just rushed into. Moments later she flew out, flying across the school capturing several of the tiny pests, but she had a really bad feeling that it was too late. Heading back to her two friends she stated she thought she had all of them, but before she could finish the sentence Dash rushed past them, several of the bugs hitting him just as he hit a door with his face.

Sam grimaced, the door leading to the boys' bathroom, not a place that she was allowed in. She needed to find out what was going on with Dash, but at the same time she wasn't going in the boys' bathroom.

"I'll go," Danny stated walking past them and toward the occupied room. Peeking his head in he felt a chill that wasn't coming from the hallway. "Dash, um, I know that I don't really care about you, but um, are you feeling okay?" There was a groan followed by Dash informing him that he really didn't feel like taking to the raven haired male. Before the former halfa could make a comment two blasts came from inside the stall, both just inches from his body. "Shit!" Taking a step back he managed to avoid the explosion as the door splintered before flying everywhere. Before him stood Dash, a monster Dash.

"Get the hell away!" he thundered reaching for the human man before him. Sam chose that moment to rush in, eyes closed, grabbed the halfa and was gone leaving Dash in the bathroom slamming his fists into whatever he could get a hold of.

"Sorry, I should have gone in." He shook his head at her, the young male smiling. He was just relieved that she had come when she had.

"We're cool," he said as they watched the door to the bathroom shake. "But we might want to get away from here." Sam nodded, taking hold of the dark skinned male before disappearing with the pair of males outside. There was something bothering the halfa about being in there, but she knew that getting them out of there was making her feel a little better... for now.


	6. Chapter 6

Within hours they found that it was going to be a little harder to get back into school as hours later the school was on lockdown, the doors locked, not allowing parents into the room containing the infected teens. Maddie, Danny's mother was glowering at an older male, his skin so pale and sunken that he resembled a zombie. Next to him was a short, balding gentleman, the one that the redhead began complaining to.

"Why can't we see our children! They need us!" The male seemed rather intimidated by the purple orbs narrowed at him, but he didn't back down even as Jack, a man that towered higher over him, stepped forward. When the teacher repeated that he couldn't give out any information and that the kids couldn't leave. "You're a fucking teacher!" Maddie raged. "You're supposed to give out information!"

"My daughter!" Jack wailed, his eyes filling with tears as he pulled out a cloth hankie. Danny walked over to where he was, Sam quickly staying close. "She is my favorite!" The Goth winced as Danny groaned in annoyance. Jack handed the handkerchief over to Danny. The former halfa looked at it disgusted. As they stood there something weird happened.

"Ow," Danny muttered, reaching down to smack at his arm, a small bug disappearing. The only issue with that was that it was a ghost bug and the older gentleman in the doctor's clothing was quick to jump on it, shoving Danny toward the doors holding the other kids in. Sam fought to grasp his hand when at the same time said hand went intangible. Sam was quick to try again, but it was too late as the raven haired male was forced back into the room. He was trying to fight, but with the sudden powers he was having a hard time keeping himself together.

"Danny!" she whispered harshly. She glared at the man before her, when her attention was turned to a certain techno geek who was busy playing with something, but not an electronic device. Moving closer, Danny not forgotten, the Goth found herself looking at a certain green bug, one that had been part of the ghostly infection. "Tucker?! What are you doing with that thing?" He smiled, his teal eyes gleaming with pride.

"I think that my spray has tamed it. It won't bite me or anything." The Goth watched in amazement at the fact that he was right, the small creature sitting there looking around like a lost kid. "I know what you're thinking and yes I do have one for girls!" He reached into his pocket and produced a pink can, the raven haired teen shooting him a death glare before the sound of someone clearing their throat was heard.

"Hi, my name is Doctor Bert Rand and you have nothing to worry about," he promised. "Your children will be taken down to the creepy old abandoned hospital down the road and within hours will be ready to be back at home, good as new."

"Are you with the government?!" Maddie questioned, getting into his face. He just smiled and agreed with her idea, though he didn't really give her a response. "And this is all under quarantine?"

"Yes, let's go with that also." Jack pushed his wife aside, the large male in the jumpsuit poking the other male in the chest.

"And we should believe you why?" Bert Rand smirked.

"Because I am with the government and can have you audited." Jack shrunk in size as the older man began to talk again. Sam growled low under her breath. She didn't trust that man, something about him was bothering her, but even with all the thinking she was doing she couldn't seem to place him. He was going on about how he was going to treat the children, but Sam wasn't paying attention to him now, no she was looking to Tucker. They would have to go to that hospital.

"We're going to have go there." The dark skinned male smiled nervously as he began to walk away.

"Good lu-" He was grabbed on the arm, his attention turned to the Gothic teen glaring at him. "I am not going there!" he whined. "You know how much I hate hospitals!" Sam smirked as she pulled him closer, her amethyst gaze flashing to green for a quick second.

"Well, Tuck, I plan on going there and that means you are coming with me. Our friends need us and with as much as Danny has saved your ass..." She faded off, the techno-geek knowing that she was letting him finish that sentence. He hated hospitals, but she was right. He had to at least attempt to help his friends. When Sam noticed that he was giving in her smirk grew wider. "Good. I knew you would see it my way. Besides, who said that you had to go in? I am going to go ghost and get in and out. No worries."

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A few moments later found the pair of teens standing before a sign, one that had seen better days and had at one point been the entrance sign for the large building behind it. Tucker gave a shudder, pointing to the sign that read NoMercy Hospital. Sam shook her head. How ironic.

"The letters just fell off," she muttered as they looked at the large, darkened building. There was an eerie glow about the place, but anyone could see there were no lights, nothing there that made anyone think that it was open. Going ghost while standing in some bushes she reemerged and heading for the fence she tried to go intangible. ZAP! She was knocked back by a current that still crackled around her form. Tucker paled at that, his teal eyes looking wide at her.

"Well, looks like we can't get in," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Time to head back home and let things work out for themselves." Sam threw him a cold look, her green eyes like orbs of ice that seemed to glow in anger. "What, there is a ghost shield in place."

"I can see that, Tucker," the Goth hissed. "That makes this all the more crucial that we get in there." She looked back at the building, a shadow moving by one of the windows, but the halfa and the male with her failed to notice. Tucker sighed. "And I have a plan." Returning to her human form she grabbed Tucker's hand and began to head for the steps. "Now here's the plan," she said putting her lips next to his ear. The dark skinned ghost fighter listened, the plan making him wince. Sure, he didn't have to go in now, but if her plan didn't come together then he would have to. He nodded, though his hesitation was obvious. "With any luck you will not have to go in."

Tucker took the Goth in his arms, feeling strange about carrying his friend up toward a hospital. Was it because Danny would kill them for doing this or was it because he hadn't really ever held a female this close. Sam whispered, sell it, in his ear while at the same time slipping something in his pocket and off they went, Sam playing the part of the sick female well as she lay in fake faint in his arms. As they approached what could have passed for characters from a game, like Doom or something, Tucker could feel fear tripping up his spine while Sam lay still. The Goth was feeling the spike of nervousness. Worry for her former halfa making her sweat slightly.

"Stop," one of the green suit clad creatures stated, the other one looking down at the female in his arms with interest. "This is a restricted area, no admittance allowed past this point." Tucker began to plead with them.

"My friend is sick and needs to be here, not me, in the hospital." Before another word could be said from either side another voice spoke up.

"Stand down, let me see the patient," came the same voice from school. Sam peeked to see the man from before walk toward them. He looked at Sam with interest as the female closed her eyes. "Has this teen been showing any ghostly symptoms?" At that moment Sam made herself go invisible, the relief at being able to do that making her giddy. She hadn't been so sure she could do it, the lack of experience making her unsure of her own abilities. "Hmmm. It seems we must take her." Reaching out he took Sam, the Goth almost gagging at the smell coming from the older male. She had heard of hospital smells of death and shit, but this man smelled like this times 100! Bert Rand threw a thumbs up to someone in the window before rushing into the large building. Tucker was left there, his teal eyes reflecting his fear at her going in there and his relief that he didn't have to go in there.

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Sam found herself placed in a wheelchair, the chill in the air making her shiver slightly. With her being a ghost she guessed that the chill was more obvious or something because she loved the cold. As she was wheeled through the darkened halls she got a glimpse at all the students who had been bit and what trait each of them were dealing with, because it seemed that they didn't experience all of the powers at once.

She passed by students that were hooked up to IVs, but she wasn't sure what they could be giving them since she knew how one became a halfa, but those students were floating slightly while another student kept turning invisible. Another male student was shivering, the ghost sense going off as a female student stuck her head through the wall next to him. All of them were discolored in appearance and they all sounded miserable as he wheeled her deeper into the hospital. Suddenly they stopped, Sam peeking to see a kid with a tuba run past them, his body tinted the way that meant he was intangible... or so she thought, but for some reason it bothered her guardian as he rushed after the student.

"Now, now, son we must learn to control those powers!" Sam was at a loss for words since it made no sense to control the powers he should be getting rid of. As soon as the good doctor disappeared down the hall Sam got up, walking past several more students that had been bit. She couldn't believe how many of her peers had been attacked. Then again she hadn't been able to count how many bugs there had been either. This had to be all if not at least 99% of the school. Tucker and she had escaped the attacks, mostly because of dumb luck, but still...

"Manson, you're in here too?" came a male voice. Sam turned to find herself looking at Kwan, one of the football players, his face dripping with sweat. Within moments of him talking he cloned and then cloned again. "Four?" Again, more clones. "Six?" Again... "Eight?" Suddenly it was like he wasn't feeling weird as he jumped up as if the group were a squad of cheerleaders. "Who do we appreciate?!" A pause as they all grouped together to cheer, "ME!" Then he realized that there were more than one of him and he was off, their screams echoing down the hall. Sam smacked her face in frustration.

"Danny tried to do that for forever and Kwan, a scatter brained jock gets it on his first day as a ghost?!"

"Hello? Nurse!" came a voice that sounded familiar and at the same time kind of disembodied. Sam turned to find a large container on a hospital bed not but a few feet away. "I'm feeling a little lightheaded... literally." The green substance swirled around in the container before resembling Jazz, the redhead's body gone leaving the genius with just a head. The Goth took a step back as a the sound of someone yelling hit her ears.

"Huh?!" Heading off down the hallway she transformed, no one in that particular wing of the hospital. What she came upon wasn't what she had been expecting.


	7. Chapter 7

Before her was Dash and Danny, both glaring at the other, as Dash held the dark haired male's collar, the look in his eyes one of hate. She walked toward the pair, her glowing green eyes stationed on the blond male in anger.

"What the fuck?!" she yelled startling both teenagers. Two pairs of blue eyes landed on her, Dash was the first to react as he dropped Danny's clothing to gawk at her.

"Ghost girl?" he questioned in awe. "Wow!" The former halfa next to him just rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you are here! Are you here to bust us out?" Sam blinked at the sudden change in the jock when she remembered how Paulina had been around Danny. She wanted to punch the male for his adoration in someone that he had hated for as long as she remembered, but instead turned her attention to Danny.

"Um, could we talk?" The blond jock watched as they headed to the other side of the curtain with Danny when suddenly the former halfa went intangible and began to sink into the ground. Sam was quick on her feet, grabbing the dark haired male by his arms, making herself intangible to grasp him. "What the fuck?" It struck her that Danny now was half ghost, but not like he had been before.

"Hey, are you going to talk to me?" came Dash's voice from the other side of the curtain. Sam smacked her face, but ignored him as she helped her best friend return to normal. After a few seconds of coaching him to stay solid, something she herself was still learning she began to tell him what she knew was going on, well, what she assumed was going on. "Hey, I want to kno-" the blond jock's voice was cut off as a hissing sound filled the air. Danny began to wobble as both their eyes began to close.

"Sam, what is th..." he faded off, his mouth opening in a yawn as Sam tried to stay awake herself. It was sleeping gas, but where? She turned to see the man, the doctor, from the school moving toward her with a canister labeled sleeping gas.

"Just great," she muttered as the whole world went dark.

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When blue eyes opened later Danny found himself in the hospital bed, the curtain still pulled to separate the jock from view. He could hear the blond muttering something though. At first the former halfa was going to dismiss those uttering until he heard Sam's alias name. He leaned closer to the curtain, his body rebelling with the movement.

"He took the ghost girl!" Dash muttered, his eyes still closed in a nightmare. Danny reached for the curtain, his fingers managing to brush the nasty green divider just as he himself went intangible. The power though was transferred and the curtain fell off the rod, the material falling through the ground moments later. The blond turned toward him, his blue eyes closed, but his lips working.

Was this happening? Danny wondered as an unknown emotion flittered through him. He struggled to get out of the bed, his mind working on two separate wavelengths. One was concerned about the words from Dash's mouth and yet the other half was more concerned about the jock liking his best friend. In the end the concern for his Gothic friend won out. Struggling he managed to go intangible, his mind forcing his powers to heel. He could remember doing this and yet it felt so interesting and... well... he wasn't sure...

"I'm coming for you," he muttered through clenched teeth as he forced his body to become solid so he would land next to the bed, his form going through the bed as he rolled with the fall.

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Sam struggled herself, her green eyes opening to find herself on a bed, the glowing bonds slowly draining her, keeping her sluggish.

'Where am I?' Looking around she found herself looking into the eyes of Bertrand, Spectra's assistant. "Ho-" Feeling the urge to smack herself she muttered about how stupid she was not to notice something so obvious! "Bert Rand. Bertrand!" The small man chuckled as he took a step toward her.

"Yes, Bertrand." He began to check the straps holding her in before turning and leaving the room.

"Tucker is soooo right about the hospital," Sam muttered as the doors that the small male had exited opened to reveal Spectra herself. The raven haired beauty looked around her, all the hospital equipment gleaming and yet it had spider webs. She looked to her right to find a tray of all sorts of sharp equipment and then to her left to see a whole bunch of cabinet space. "What the fuck is going on!?" she cried out in anger and confusion. Why was she strapped to this bed and what did Spectra want with her? It was then that it struck the Goth that Spectra wasn't taking a human form, her darkened shadow glaring at her.

"Welcome, Phantom, though I feel as though you should have been someone else," the ghostly form stated. "But we can talk about that," she said moving to hover over the Goth. "You know how us therapist love to talk it out." Sam felt her eyes grow wide at the hate that reflected in the other woman's eyes. "Like the fact that it was that human teenager that ruined me!"

"You deserved it!" Sam screamed, her voice echoing around them loudly.

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Tucker stood outside the fence that enclosed the hospital, his teal eyes locked on the floated guards as he smiled uneasily.

"Am at a spooky hospital with ghosts guarding the place and it's night," he muttered. "At least I am on the outside and Sam doesn't need me inside that creepy place." At that moment her voice filled the air as she cried out. Tucker winced and made another statement about how the Gothic halfa wasn't calling for help.

"Help! Someone!" This time the techno geek began to walk away, his eyes facing away from the hospital.

"Well, she's not calling for me!" he muttered loudly.

"Tucker get your ass up here! Now!" Muttering darkly under his breath he pulled out the two items he had on him. One was his perfume...well, his deterrent and in his other hand was the lipstick that the Goth had handed him. He hadn't noticed until after she was gone and had pulled it out. Shock and dismay had been his first reaction. Anger had swelled after that because he had thought it a joke, but when the dark skinned male had thrown it a laser had nearly taken a portion of his hair.

"Sam would say that Karma has it out for me," the dark haired and skinned male muttered as he took a deep breath. "Okay." Running toward the door he began to spray himself with his invention, remembrance of how it had helped with the bugs only to cause the guards to cough. Tucker became offended, his quick comeback, "Hey, you're ghosts! Have you smelled yourself lately?" Within seconds of the deliverance he held out the lipstick, his finger quick to hit the button.

He was thrown back, but non fazed as he stood back up. "Wow, that sure packs a punch for something so small." Looking at the knocked out guards he began to run inside all the while his insides clenched in unease.

Moments later found the scared techno creeping down the halls of the abandoned part of the hospital, the halls vacant as his eyes peeked out over the green mask. Turning a corner a teen fell through the ceiling, but before they had gone to the next floor they managed to become tangible.

"Tucker?" came the voice of Danny, the former halfa looking at Tucker in confusion. "I thought you were scared of the hospital?"

"And I thought you always said I was so transparent, but you don't see me making wisecracks about it." The raven haired male glared at him as he straightened.

"No time for talking, Bertrand has Sam so that means that Sp-"

"Bertrand? That shrimp with no real power?" Danny wanted to smack the other man, but needed to get to Sam, so grasping the other male began to go intangible, forcing Tucker to go with him.

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Sam watched as the floating female ranted about her lost body, the fact that she now was just a shadow of her former self for a few moments as she tried to break her bonds. Spectra seemed so preoccupied that she thought that she had more time, but suddenly the evil woman turned to her.

"But that ends now. I have all the perfect components to make a permanent, more perfect, body!" Sam's brow rose. So, the bugs...the infection...all of it had been planned? "And those bonds will never be broken by your ghost energy, so just forget those ideas that float around in your little human brain!"

"You infected them on purpose! Why?"

"Because I they had to be part ghost for the body to work! If they had been mere humans then the form would only last as long as their bodies did!" Sam wanted to know more, but it was as if the ghost were frustrated with the wait so turning from Sam she opened a large pair of doors, her voice piping up as she finished her speech, "I needed Jazz's brain, Paulina's nearly perfect complexion and Dash's muscle." Turning toward Sam she revealed a large chamber, the green light bursting forth nearly burning Sam's eyes with it's intensity. "And now I need your halfa gene to make it all stable."

"You won't get away with this!" the Goth shouted, her options gone as the former school counselor pushed her toward the chamber. She didn't know what to do or why she had thought that Tucker would come in and help her! He was useless when it came down to it and now she was screwed.

"What's even better is that once their powers burn out then several humans will die." The Goth could feel the blood rush from her face. She was going to kill her peers? Hell, that wasn't even the real reason it freaked her out! Danny would be killed! Beginning to struggle harder she found herself pushed into the machine, the mocking laughter of her captor ringing in her ears as the doors shut!

"No!" she screamed her fingers wiggling until she felt something wet. "What?" Looking down she felt a smirk twist her lavender lips. "Hmmm..."


	8. Chapter 8

Tucker rushed through the hospital, his teal eyes narrowed as he watched for any sign of the male that had taken Sam, Bertrand. Tucker remembered him vaguely. They moved around the halls, floors up from where they had started because it appeared that some of the students had seen the halfa, claiming that she had been taken to a room on the top of the hospital. Running down the halls they found the door that led to the room that was occupied by the sound of the voices coming from inside it. Peeking into the round windows of what had apparently been an operating room they watched the shadowy form of Spectra as she stood outside a large chamber that glowed red.

"Where is Sam?" the dark skinned male wondered aloud. "They said she went wi-" Danny smacked the male next to him, his finger coming to his lips in a motion that was obviously silence.

"Any louder and they will hear you!" he hissed. Turning back to the room they watched in silence as Sam was taken out of the now dark chamber, her look of triumph changing to one of mock pain, as if she had been harmed. The former halfa almost made a move, but as the doors next to the chamber opened he felt the male next to him stiffen. There was a form, a human looking form of Spectra with a more vamped look to it. They watched as the shadow form of Spectra moved to possess the body, her smirk of satisfaction telling them that she seemed to have gotten what she wanted. She boasted about her new body, the fact that it would never be peeled as her former image had been and that she would never require the depression of mere humans to retain her youth.

As soon as it seemed that she was complete she rushed off, mayhem on her lips as she disappeared from the room, the doors slamming behind her. Sam sighed, but before she could even begin to struggle to release herself she found herself looking at Danny and Tucker!

"Danny? Tucker?" The former halfa and Tucker moved to assist, though as soon as they touched the glowing green straps they found themselves thrown back. "Special belt," she stated softly. Tucker pulled out his lipstick, the one that he used earlier in his hands. Informing Danny to stand back he blasted the belts, the ectoblast managing to singe and break the glowing belts. Sam flew up, her human form disappearing as she transformed. Looking down at the pair with her glowing green eyes she realized that Tucker was inside a hospital and as much as she would love to remark about it she knew that there was no time. They needed to get rid of Spectra. "Ready to kick some ghostly ass?" she questioned with a smirk. The pair nodded and Sam headed off, Danny using his intangibility to follow behind as she headed down several floor, her first target unknown.

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Several floors down in the lobby of the hospital was Bertrand, his look of unease on the raven haired woman who was busy complaining about her hair, the long tresses tangled with green goo.

"I can't believe that you shot me with that!" she whined, her eyes narrowed at him, her fingers yanking frustratingly at her hair. It was obvious that her superficial pain was more important than the fact that she was part ghost. Whimpering at her hair she failed to notice that they had company, though the ghostly male next her didn't. He turned to find Sam smirking at him, Tucker and Danny standing a foot behind her.

"You!" he cried out in shock, the obvious confusion and shock meshing in one very satisfying image for the halfa before him. Before he could react though Sam threw a large green ecto orb at him, the blast knocking him at the face and into a nearby wall. Paulina fell back, her look of fear only there for a moment before she got up and backed up into a wall. She watched with the other three as the older ghost male's face began to boil.

Sam watched in grotesque fascination as the ghost before her shook, spun, and transformed before her, his small form abandoned for a much larger one that loomed over her with his leering gaze. Behind her Tucker and Danny gazed up, their head craning back as the male grew until he hit the ceiling. He then let out a loud yell, the windows behind him shaking with intensity as his head grew, the skull cracking and falling open like an egg, revealing his pink brains. With a devious smirk he pulled out a rather small looking scalpel, well, it was small until he extended it out and began to brandish it like a pair of nunchucks.

At that moment Tucker thought it would be funny to taunt the former small ghost, his smirk of defiance only broken as he began to talk.

"Stop or I will use it!" he cried out showing the small green lipstick again. "It not only moisturizes it also repairs damage from the wind and sun!" It made no sense and that seemed to anger Bertrand even further. Flailing his hand, the one holding the rather large tool of surgery he managed to knock the green stick away from Tucker and behind him where Paulina reached for it. Sam was the first one to notice and while she knew it was wrong she really wanted the preppy Hispanic teen to use it and blast her head off, Danny had other plans.

"Stop!" he yelled rushing under the ghost and toward the unsuspecting female who was just inches from the tube touching her lips while said tube began to glow with ecto energy. As the former halfa yanked the item from her lips it went off, the blast just burning some of her black locks off. It would normally bother the ice queen, but her first reaction was to Danny coming close to her, but before she could snap at him she realized that he had saved her, the singed locks leaving that burning hair smell.

"You saved me...um..." she seemed to be at a loss, her fading words unheard by Danny as he smiled at her. "Um...thanks." The raven haired male nodded, a smile still on his lips as Sam began to battle the large ghost with the aid of Tucker, a now weaponless male. It took only seconds for the dark skinned male to be knocked back, Sam rushing to stop his head from being knocked into a wall. As she grabbed him, the large ghost came after her, his large green fist managing to catch her white boot.

"Fuck!" she managed to mutter as he yanked her back, her fingers slipping from Tucker's underarms, the male landing on the ground instead with his head in the wall.

"Danny!" the techno-geek yelled angrily as he rushed to help the halfa, her frame squeezed tightly between the large male's fingers. She quickly turned intangible, but wasn't quick on her escape as his hand came into contact with her head, knocking her into a wall just feet away from him. As he lumbered over to her a white blue beam came at him, the beam sucking his large form away from the downed Goth, her small frame laying still against the wall. As Danny capped the thermos Tucker rushed to Sam's aide, his sneakers loud in the now silent room. Paulina had been left to her own devices, thus the Hispanic girl had walked off just as the air around them grew cold, the air leaving Sam's lavender lips turning blue.

"Not again," Sam muttered, her eyes opening slowly just as the pair of males glanced behind them to find Spectra, her slender form floating just feet from them.

"Very impressive, for a pair of human males and a foolish ghost girl," the red head stated, her green eyes narrowed at them. "But you have yet to fight me in my ultimate form!"


	9. Chapter 9

Tucker was the first to speak, his words echoing around them.

"I am in a modeling agency!" Sam wanted to face palm and Danny wanted to smack the geek, his eyes rolling as Tucker drooled over the slender form of Spectra. Her red hair was in it's familiar horns while her body was tightly clad in a tight black pants and bellybutton shirt, the edges of the outfit lined with green flames. Her stomach was slender like an hourglass and yet her pale skin looked milky against the dark clothing.

"You like?" she whispered huskily to the dark skinned male. "It's smart, beautiful," she stated with a flare of her glove clad hands. "Deadly." Her fingers glowed with a bright purple light, so beautiful, but to the halfa watching it with her two friends she knew it was deadly and when it turned into a hand, the fingers grasping for the dark haired ghost fighter she knew she had to push her pained body.

"No!" she cried as she rushed to stop the ghost from hurting the former halfa. Shoving him out of the way she was punched by the purple fist, but just moments later a green blast hit the red haired ghost. Letting out a squeal of pain and shock she fell back as Sam hit the wall next to Danny. The raven haired ghost hunter rushed to her aid, but was stopped as the sound of evil laughter hit them all. The trio looked over to see Spectra holding up a large jar, the words on one side alone making them stiffen.

"I can't feel my toes!" came a cry from the swirling green in the jar. Danny was the first to react as the red headed female threw the jar.

"Let's see if you can feel this!" The jar seemed to float in the air as the former halfa rushed for it, Tucker on his heels, the pair of teens rushing to save the life of one genius who had given Danny nothing but grief. It seemed that they would never make it, the jar falling to the ground, but in that last second Kwan rushed forward, his fingers clasping the jar before pulling it close to him like football. He turned and called out, several versions of Kwan rushing forward as he tossed the girl in the jar.

"Shit," Sam muttered as she rushed toward the now football team made up of the Asian male. Without thinking she moved around them, her body just barely brushing theirs as she made her way to the Kwan that held Jazz. As soon as she was upon him he tossed the female, her screams echoing around them. The Goth turned to watch as each Kwan managed to fumble the genius only to watch in horror as the last one dropped her. Luckily for them Tucker rushed to jump and catch her.

Sam sighed and Danny smiled in relief. As the geek held up the genius Sam turned her attention to the neglected ghost, her eyes flashing green as she rushed toward her.

"Time for yo-" She was cut off as Spectra let out a blast, her fingers curling as she struck the halfa. The Goth let out a scream, her body shuddering with the blast before she fell to the ground. The redhead was quick to step on her, her foot resting firmly on the white haired woman's chest. Sam reached out to grasp at the heeled boots digging into her hands as the redhead let out a gasp of pleasure.

"Finally," she breathed. "Your DNA has finally kic-" She suddenly found herself floating above the halfa, her body blowing up like a balloon. Her once slender form was bloated, her hand going to her stomach in confusion. "What happened? Why do I suddenly feel like talking about ghosts and eating fudge?"

"Well, you wanted DNA, but you didn't specify which one you wanted," Sam said with a smirk as she leaned up on her elbows, her slender form like that of a model as she watched the shocked look transform to one of realization. "I gave you Fenton DNA courtesy of a certain man's nose." With a looked of horror the female before them became a large snotty looking female, literally.

She gasped out, her body dripping and oozing. She looked at her large hands in disgust as the trio looked on, Tucker taking a step back while Sam winced. Danny was the first to speak up.

"There's a you blew it pun in here somewhere," he said with a shrug. "But I would rather not." Spectra growled low, her eyes turning red in her anger before lunging at him. He was the first one taken down, but he wasn't who she had to watch out for. Sam took her down, her hands sinking into the boogers that oozed down her large form.

"I don't think so, bitch," the Goth hissed. Spectra just smirked.

"It's too late anyway," the former redhead stated, her eyes narrowing as her smirk grew. Sam looked confused, Danny and Tucker wearing the same expression. What was too late? Sam had Spectra and Bertrand was gone so why did the ghost look like she had the upper hand? When the Goth holding her asked that very question the ghost replied with, "Those bugs that are in your friends and peers are going to be the death of them. They will die before the day is through and there is nothing you can do about it!"

"That's what you think!" Tucker exclaimed pulling out his can of Foley, the strange cologne a confusing answer for their dilemma. As he rushed off Sam punched at the ghost, hoping to weaken her so they could force her into the Thermos. All that ended up happening was her fist getting stuck in the slime that was her face. Making a face of disgust she pulled it back, but it was like pulling a cheesy slice of pizza back, the slime holding tight to her glove covered fist.

"Ew," the Goth said pulling back further to punch at the booger covered ghost, this time her punch forced the woman back, her body hitting the ceiling and sticking. She sagged a little, the snot holding her in place while Sam looked on with a smirk. The former redheaded ghost began to struggle.

"Okay! Let's boogie!" she screamed out in anger. Danny facepalmed behind Sam.

"That was so what we were trying to avoid," he muttered as she nodded in agreement as the enraged ghost lunged at them.

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In the ventilation shaft a shadow moved, the sound of their movement echoing around the person. Tucker appeared around a corner, his teal eyes landing on the controls for the air-conditioning unit. He thought for a second that it was strange for the controls to be inside the unit, but with a shrug he reached into his backpack for his weapon of choice. Spraying the can after a shake of it he turned to the controls and turned up the a/c to max.

"Whoever said odor isn't everything never met me before," he muttered with a quirk of his lips.

With a smirk he watched it disappear. He believed his plan would work, but now he had to wait and see if it did.

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Spectra slammed Sam into a wall before turning her attention back to the male that was assisting her, his raven hair flying back as he rushed at the gooey ghost female. As she knocked him into laundry basket, her bulky form towering over him a smell hit the former halfa's nose.

"Any last words?" Spectra questioned. Danny's brow raised as Sam watched.

"Yeah... Do you smell gym shorts and..." he pause for a moment as the smell continued past him. "and gingersnaps?" She looked up at the vent where the smell was coming from.

"Actually," she said with a semi-confused and disgusted look on her face. "I smell tennis shoes and fudge nutters." Now she gagged, her eyes watering from the horrible smell. "What is that disturbing odor?" Around them the scent came from the vents, the green gassy vapor filling the halls with different smells.

As it entered rooms where sick students lay, their skin turning green, their hearts beating ever slowly it cured them. The bugs exited their small forms and flew off. Students who were cloned, like Kwan, became one person again. Others who had no form, like Jazz, were returned to their human states while others who were floating fell to the ground with a thump. Danny also lost his borrowed powers, something that left him feeling rather bereft.

As the bugs flew away from the students that they had been inhabiting Sam pulled out a thermos, her aim striking the escapees and capturing them. She turned to see the former halfa with that strange look on his face, but chose at that moment to take down the stunned ghost, her eyes on where the bugs had been.

"How?" she gasped in awe and confusion. As her back was to the now Gothic halfa she slammed her fist into the gooey back, the splatter echoing around them as the boogey monster splattered her large form on a good portion of the hallway walls. With the monster taken care of she turned the thermos on her too. With a loud slurping sound her form was cleared from the walls, Tucker rushing around the corner to run into the former halfa. Danny slid out of his daze upon impact, Sam reverting to her human form.

She looked to her best friend, the raven haired male smiling as he congratulated the geek on his assistance in both taking care of the bugs infesting the students of Casper High and in coming into the hospital with as much as he abhorred the place for healing. She smiled and joined them, her eyes watching her hero, the one that looked like he too missed having his powers. She had no words for him, no comfort to give him because she could never ask him to take back the responsibility of hunting down ghosts. He had to really want it. That was his decision.


	10. Chapter 10

A few weeks later found the trio on the roof of Fenton Works, the OP center, watching as the stars glittered above them. A few stars fell, leaving streaks of white tails behind them as Danny looked into the telescope. Sam looked in another one to his left while Tucker lay lounging to his right. Between them was a small radio, the music filtering into the night sky as Sam turned to look at said radio with a look of disgust while the raven haired ghost fighter remarked on how clear the night was.

"Sure, the night is perfect," the Goth replied, her eyes narrowing at the music, the sound of it kind of soft and classical while at the same time making her ears hurt. "But that music has to go." She looked to the Geek lounging next to it questionably. "Can we not listen to this garbage?" He leaned over as the Goth waited, his fingers working the dial to find another song, another station to listen to.

No matter where he turned the dial though the music never wavered, never changed so with a sigh the dark skinned male informed her, "And the survey says no." He looked rather ticked about this fact, his lips twisting into a scowl. Sam turned to look at her friends as the building began to shake, her mouth opening to release a blue mist. The ghost sense telling her they weren't alone on that rooftop. The trio rushed forward, to the edge of the roof, their collective gazes watching in both awe and shock as something black began to rise from the ground below them. It was large, the thing as big as Fenton Works, but as it rose higher the group could see that it was a ship, and not just any ship, but a pirate ship, the black flag on it proclaiming it as such.

It was composed of dark brown wood while the anchors on both sides were a lime green and the flag, mast and other fabrics that could be seen were either black or black with a lime green skull head. In the front adorning the bow was a green skeleton mermaid, in his hand a scythe. The boat was almost as wide as it was long, the ship hovering over them for mere seconds before turning so that the deck was exposed a couple of pirates sticking their heads out to sneer at them.

Suddenly several others appeared, their heads popping up all over the deck, most throwing up their weapons in a show of force, while others held what appeared to be harpoons. Suddenly several of their cannons that lined the side of the ship were aiming at them, hooks sticking out of them. They gleamed as the moonlight hit them, the trio looking uncertain at this sudden intrusion. The sound of the cannons blasting echoed in the still night, Danny wondering how no one had come out to see what the commotion was about while Sam moved to change, her form changing to that of the Phantom as she arched with the power coming over her. Her hair fell back as the transformation ended, the hooks clanking on the tower behind them as several ghosts began to jump overboard. They swung down, their booted boney feet making soft sounds as they landed before them.

They surrounded the trio, two for each of them making Sam smirk, her lavender lips twisting as she jumped into the air. Her finger reached out, her taunt one that caused the group against them to growl. Danny didn't wait to let her take them on, the raven haired male moving to take two out, his previous powers having given him chances to learn moves that he could use even without the same powers. As Sam punched one out, Danny taking out another one the crew before them took a step back, almost as if in fear, but when their eyes flew behind them to a hook that had slammed onto the railing around the great ship, the pair realized they had been so ready to fight that they had failed to hear the other pirate make himself known...at least they thought it was a man.

"Avast ye-" the small male proclaimed, his voice cutting off suddenly leaving him there floating. The boney parrot next to him flew off his shoulder to fly in the space before him, the child looking to the animal for help. "What is that word?" he questioned rather loudly. The featherless thing looked annoyed at having to help the kid, but supplied the words.

"Scurvy dogs. Awk!"

"Right!" He turned to the crew and the trio of ghost fighters. "Avast ye scurvy dogs!" Pumping one fist in the air he continued, "Prepare to be boarded by Captain Youngblood and his crew of skeletons!" The pirates cheered for the young male, his hair the same color of the skeleton mermaid. His captain's hat was obviously too big for him, but he wore it without a care, his hook hand not like what you would have thought as it wasn't hooked in a crescent shape, but rather a cut with a square side against the half circle. The crew that was with him seemed to be more kin to Fall Apart the rabbit, but still seemed ready to fight. Sam rushed up to him though Danny wanted to protest. Lately he had found that their enemies seemed to get more dangerous and although this kid looked like nothing but a brat out for some fun he was still concerned for the Goth.

"Shouldn't you be in bed like a good little brat, kid?" the raven haired woman asked as she eyed the small pirate. His eyes narrowed, the green glowing brightly at what must have offended him. Sam smirked, not worried about the tyke in front of her, but when his hook suddenly changed, a glowing red stripe of energy coming between what appeared to be a slingshot she began to wonder if she should be worried. Then she noticed there was no stone or projectile for the slingshot to hit her with and breathed a sigh of relief... a little too early as he pulled it back with his small fingers, a small orb of red energy forming a ball on the line.

"Don't call me kid!" he cried as he released his projectile, the small orb catching the Goth off guard enough that she was struck, the small thing packing enough of a punch that she was knocked away and stunned. "I am mature beyond my years!" With that said he stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry.

Above them a pirate ghost with one arm rushed with his sword to take down the ghost shield, a small box with a picture of Jack next to it. The words Ghost Shield Generator were next to the picture in lime green. A small satellite sat on top of it, a small red light on it blinking just moments before they cut it off. Another pirate waited below, his arms open to catch the device, his one eye gleaming with victory.

"Fall back me hearties!" the kid called out, his smirk one of triumph as Sam lay sprawled on the ground with both males assisting her up, all three pairs of eyes on the kid and his ship. His parrot flew beside him, his sneer one of boredom it seemed or aggravation as the the kid continued, "We got the...the..." He looked to his featherless companion, a look of bewilderment on his face as he tried to spit out the word. The parrot sighed before supplying him with the missing word.

"Booty." The small child chuckled, his lips twisting as he laughed now at the parrot for saying the funny word. All the pirates still on the ground before the trio of ghost fighters chuckled now, hands covering their lips as they laughed. Danny rushed forward, his eyes narrowed as the ghost with the generator flew off.

"They have my dad's ghost generator!" he cried out. He felt an urge to fly after them, but remembered that he no longer had those powers. That Sam was the Phantom now. He looked to her as she nodded, her eyes narrowing as she went after the ghost, her legs turning into her ghostly tail. Before she could catch up to the culprit the ghost child got in her way, his body angled so his one peg leg was pointed at her. It changed to a small cannon, a cannonball exiting from the hole at the end. The raven haired girl was caught off guard as it struck her in the face, a small cry exiting her lips as she fell back. Danny ran close to the edge, his arms outstretched as the Goth fell back, the cannonball falling from her face as she landed in the former Phantom's arms. They all watched in defeat as the ship disappeared, only a sparkle of light flickering as it fully disappeared from view.

"Nice one, Sam," Tucker said with a slight chuckle. "Got your ass handed to you by a kid half your size with a peg leg!" Green eyes turned on him, the flash of neon in them a warning. Tucker seemed oblivious as he continued. "I can't believe that a girl with ghost powers got her butt kicked by a kid who still thinks booty is funny!" Then the dark skinned male chuckled again, his lips forming the word with a smirk. "Booty." Danny turned on the geek, his own ice blue eyes narrowed.

"Tuck, he took my dad's ghost generator! Do you even understand what that means?!" Sam looked to Danny, her own body heating up in his embrace.

"Um, you can put me down," she whispered, her cheeks burning. Danny seemed to realize he was still holding the Goth and with a flush of embarrassment released her. She fell to the ground with a small oomph. "Thanks," she muttered. The dark skinned male was oblivious to the embarrassment of the pair, his smirk still on his face as he repeated the funny word.

"TUCKER!" the pair yelled to get his attention, their own unease forgotten in the joined attempt to shut the male up.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning found Sam on Danny's doorstep after a rough morning at her own home. Pulling her backpack closer she rang the doorbell, the sound of the bell echoing behind the door. Waiting for a few moments she shrugged and opened the door. What she found made her cringe. The former halfa sat at the table with his family, all of them doing their own thing while a rather annoying tune cranked from the radio in the middle of said table.

Jack and Maddie sat next to each other, both working on ghost weapons while spacing out with rather goofy smiles on their faces. Next to Jack was Jazz, her spacy look telling Sam that she was also zoned out. The only one that wasn't looking rather happy was Danny as he attempted to eat his breakfast. He reached over at that moment to hit the volume knob only for his family to call out in unison, "Danny!" in an upset tone. He flinched back as if he had almost been bitten.

Sam approached and rested her hand on his shoulder. The teen looked up at her and stated, "Didn't even hear you come in." She smiled.

"Must have been the music," was her response as she looked over at his family. "I thought coming here I could get away from it." Danny shook his head before turning his attention to his parents.

"Mom, dad, being a fourteen year old means that easy listening isn't on my list of favorite music." He gave his mother a pleading look. "Can I please change it?"

"Yes, Mrs. Fenton, can we please change the channel?"

"NO!" his family cried in unison, all of them standing up to block him from the radio in question. Sam flinched as Danny rolled his eyes. The music was aggravating to the pair of them and yet it seemed to sooth the trio before them, even Jazz finding comfort in the strange choice of music.

"You cannot be enjoying this music," he muttered.

"Yes, I do," Maddie stated as she sat back down, a smile lifting her red lips. "It relaxes me." Jazz's hand came up, her face resting on the table unseen as a muffled agreement came from her.

"It's much more soothing than that other sound I have been hearing all morning," Jack muttered with a look toward the device emitting what the pair of ghost fighters hadn't heard until that moment.

Warning! Security breech! Ghost shield not operational!

"Um," Sam said with an ironic look. "That isn't just any sound, that is a warning." Danny nodded, but Jack just kind of shrugged it off.

"It's interfering with the cool sounds of our easy listening." He looked to his spaced out daughter, the redhead gazing half liddingly at the pair of teens. "So, crank up those tunes, Jazzy pants!" The young woman looked excited as she reached over and turned the knob, the music so loud now that the pair of teens reached up to cover their ears as the table shook with the volume of the easy listening. Sam nodded at the former halfa, her eyes flickering toward the door. Nodding at her silent suggestion the pair headed off, Danny grabbing his book bag on the way out the door.

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As the pair walked into the schoolyard Danny turned a rather disbelieving look to his friend.

"I can't believe how my parents are acting, Jazz I get, but them," he said, his tone bordering on high as they walked up the stairs and into Casper High, the teens around them mulling around as they talked to friends and classmates about whatever was going on in their lives. "They spazzed when I took the stuff from the shed and yet this time the ghost shield has been stolen and they could care less." Sam nodded.

"My parents were acting a little off too..." Turning a corner they headed down another hallway. "All they do now is sit in front of the radio listing to that new age vapor drone that is on every damn station." At this point Tucker joined them, his hands clenching the straps of his backpack as he nodded. His brows came down as he explained how his parents were also zoning out on the music that was haunting all three homes.

"They listen to that stuff twenty four seven," he complained with an aggravated look on his young face. "Must be a generation thing." Sam pointed out that even Jazz was listening to it with no complaint and she was almost their age. "That girl thinks she's an adult though."

"Yeah, my sister believes that childhood is something to study, not to live in," the raven haired male stated with a shrug. "The worse part about this music is that-"

"I can't get it out of my head!" they all cried, all three of them holding their hands to their ears in exasperation. The trio looked over at the other in shock. "Wait," they said, all three lowering their hands, voices still in unison. "You can hear it?" That's when all three teens noticed that the music was playing around them, the halls echoing with the annoying song. Looking ahead of them they found that they were standing before the gym, a large poster on an easel advertising auditions for a school DJ. A smirk appeared on all three of their faces as they turned to each other, a plan in mind to stop the obnoxious music.

Walking into the filled gymnasium they found Lancer, his eyes closed and moving his fingers to the soft sounds of their hated song, standing in the radio booth that was used for the announcers of their high school sports teams. He opened his eyes, hands reaching for something unseen over the booth walls as he began to talk.

"Since we have added a school radio this week an anonymous donor has given us this record to listen to," stated the bald teacher, in his hands a large record cover with a scenic background that had a small river on it as well as a sparkling sun, the words Sounds to Relax To By Vapor Drones on the cover in rainbow lettering.

"Crap," Sam muttered as Lancer continued talking.

"Such a soothing tune," he said looking rather fondly at the record. "And vinyl records to boot." Tucker made a face of disgust.

"Vinyl," he muttered. "Where are we, the Stone Age?" Lancer continued talking, ignoring the scathing remark as Kwan and Dash stood off to the side of their teacher, both looking less than enthused by the new music.

"You kids should feel free, as you say, to bust out your own freaky beats," his hands waving in response to that as the two jocks looked at each other in unease. Putting the headset back on Lance continued, "As long as they aren't too freaky...or too...beaty," he said looking unsure of his last few words, words that obviously were not real words. At that moment Danny pushed into the room, his hands forcing the pair of jocks to his left and right.

"Sweet!" He grabbed the headphones from Lancer. "Where do I sign up to yank this crap off the air?" The teacher looked down at the raven haired teen with little amusement on his face. It was more like he found what Danny said to be offensive. With that asked he reached over and scratching the needle over the vinyl surface quieted the awful music while at the same time damaging the record. Paulina, Star, and Kwan looked angrily at the development before them, while Dash looked astonished that the former halfa would even make a move on the idea he could lead anything.

"Fenton? A DJ?" Scowling. "Yeah right! Like anyone would listen to a shrimp like you!"

"I will show you!" Lifting his hand up he grabbed the mic with the other one, Sam and Tucker wincing as the ghost fighter cried out, "What do we want?!" Silence greeted him, most of the students looking at him in confusion. "This is when you say good music," he explained. Again he tried, but the only people that backed him up were Sam and Tucker while at the same time looking uncomfortable at being in the spotlight, other students looking at them with the same look of disgust that they were giving Danny. Dash took that moment to knock Danny away from the mic to repeat the phrase that the ghost hunter had just used, this time getting results as everyone save for Tucker and Sam, responded correctly.

"When do we want it?" the blond jock cried out only to receive an unexpected response.

"NOW!" a echoing voice cried out, all the teens looking around for the source.


	12. Chapter 12

Above the crowd of students a ring appeared, the blue white shapes moving to separate into two rings before disappearing leaving a small group of pirate ghosts, the skeleton ghosts leering at the students while the pirate kid smirked. It only took seconds for the humans to react, screams of terror and fear echoing in the large room. Danny glared at the ghosts, Tucker taking a step back while Sam transformed, the space cleared out just in time.

"Avast ye bilge rats!" He then looked uncertain, his green eyes shooting to look at the bony bird on his shoulder. The bird nodded at his question and he turned back to the teens, his smile back. "Plunder lies a fore!" The target of the crew became apparent as they headed for the weight room. Narrowing her eyes Sam went after them, Danny rushing from the radio booth with Tucker bringing up the rear. When the trio came into the room they found the pirate crew rushing to tear treadmills and exercise bikes from the floors, the equipment hard to move as it was all nailed down. They had little trouble making it come out though with their ghostly strength. As it pilled up more and more before the ghost hunting trio, Sam rushed forward in an attempt to take the crew down.

"What are you going to do with something that you can't even use?!" she hollered. "You have no muscles for that shit to build up!" The ghosts glared at her, their obvious dislike for her interference reflecting in their eyes and in the blasts that came at her. She threw her arms up to protect herself, but also some how managed to create a shield, the green energy solid enough to reflect the blast, but still managing to knock her back. Danny took that chance to grab at one of the pirates as they attempted to take another shot at the disoriented Sam. Grasping the other creature's arms he managed to rip them off.

"Stay away from her!" Tucker growled suddenly showing some initiative as he too went after a ghost. Sam shook her head, stars swimming in her vision before going after the runt that ruled over the bony pirates.

"Another playtime with Captain Kid?" she queried in obvious disinterest. "Sounds like fun." Before the Goth had time to react she was blasted with his hook, well several of them as he changed his weapon. She was knocked back again, but this time she was attached to the wall, a hook on each appendage. The Kid smirked at his victory before turning to his crew with instructions to take the booty and run. Sam struggled to release herself, but when Danny rushed to help her she growled out that he needed to take care of the school property.

"I don't think so Sam," was his response as the ghosts made off with the exercise equipment. As they phased through the ceiling Danny and Tucker pulled the hooks out of the wall, the halfa released. She floated to the ground, her obvious bad mood making Tucker step back. He knew what was about to happen.

"Why didn't you listen to me?!" she hissed angrily turning to her friend. "How could you let him go?!" Danny was shocked at her anger and yet at the same time he felt his own boiling up at her lack of appreciation.

"It was school equipment!" he growled back. "Why do you care so much?" Her eyes grew wide for one moment and then narrowed at the next as she tried to stutter out her reasons before giving up and phasing through the roof to see if she could see the puny pirate. Looking around in a circle and above her gave her nothing.

Sighing she muttered, "Damn, I grow tired of hide and seek."

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After school the trio walked home, the walk made even longer by the fact that everyone, police officers and civilians alike were listening to that one song.

"What would ghosts want with exercise equipment anyway?" Tucker questioned. "It really makes no sense." Sam shrugged, but looked thoughtful. She too was unsure. There was nothing that she could connect to those ghosts and the equipment that they had taken.

"I have a really weird feeling that he might be connected with this music." Sam and Tucker looked at the former halfa in question. "They show up just after the music started and well..." he faded off as an ice cream truck sped past, teens and children alike following the icon of childhood before another ice cream truck rushed by, this one playing the eerie music. This time an older crowd rushed behind it.

"We have to counteract it somehow," the Goth muttered with a glare at the truck as it turned a corner. Suddenly she got this look on her face, her amethyst eyes gleaming with mischief. "We need our own radio station!" Danny looked skeptical.

"And where would we get the equipment to do that?" Sam smiled and pointed up. Above her was the Ops Center. He shook his head and held up his hands. "No way, Sam." The Goth in question just raised her brow with a twist of her lavender lips.

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A few minutes later found the trio rushing into the kitchen, Danny holding up his finger as he he said, "Mom! Dad! I really want to use the emergency Ops Center for a radio station!" Opening his eyes he, Sam, and Tucker looked at the empty room in question. Tucker raised his hand and made a fist pump.

"That's a yes," Sam said with a smile, her eyes meeting Tucker's. The pair gave Danny a thumb's up. The former halfa didn't look happy as he walked over to the table where a brochure and a note lay. Picking them up he read the note aloud. It let the trio know that his parents, as well as Jazz, had all gone on a fun cruise...no telling when they would be back.

"M. Bersback Cruise Lines?" He turned it over and then opened it as the pair behind him joined him. "That's weird." Tucker raised a brow and Sam looked confused.

"That they went on a fun cruise?" He shook his head.

"That they went on one with Jazz." Tucker nodded, completely understanding and Sam realized that it was indeed strange. "You know what this means?"

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The door to the Ops Center burst open, Sam's foot still up in the kicking position. "That it's time to take down that awful music!" She rushed into the room with Tucker following while Danny looked hesitant. "They even left it open for us." Before the trio stood an empty room save for the DJ station and several spotlights.

"Doesn't this all seem a little coincidental? The pirates? The music? And now my parents just up and leaving with Jazz?" He looked to his two best friends. "We need to get to the bottom of this!" Tucker blew him off.

"So your parents decided that Jazz needed to unwind and they wanted to get away," he stated. "What is so bad about that?"

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Around the city several suitcases were clicking closed, adults rushing to head out leaving their children unattended. All that was left behind were brochures and notes, all saying the same thing as Danny's, except for the Jazz thing, that was unique. The next day the trio showed up at school only to find that none of the teachers were there... Only students milled the halls.

"Wow! Your parents ditched you too?" Danny asked in amazement. Sam's parents hardly left their only child alone. They always were watching her to make sure she did well and that she didn't spend too much time with Tucker or Danny, both of them being the bad influences that her parents saw them as. The Goth looked smug.

"Yup," she said. "And just because I enjoy those words so much I will say it again!" She let out a little cheer. "My parents are gone!"

"It's like this cruise is attracting every adult in town," Danny pointed out, still unable to enjoy the freedom that had been thrown in his lap. Around them other students grinned with the knowledge that they could do whatever they wanted and there was no one that would say a word. "And my sister, who despite only being a little older than me thinks she is an adult."

"Just think of it like this," Sam stated with a wide grin. "This is Fate helping us get that rotten music off the air with a little party." The former halfa's brows went up in concern.

"What party?" The raven haired halfa held up a flyer, obviously very proud of herself. It wasn't super glamorous, but it did point a finger at him with his name scrawled across the top with the words Danny Fenton's Party, each letter representing another word to spell out Providing Alternate Radio For You.

" Y!" she cheered as Tucker joined in.

"We ain't got no alibi!" Danny questioned that they already had a logo after only one day of being without adults. "Not only do we have a logo!" Tucker bragged. "We have a sponsor!" He held up a while paper sack, the words Nasty Burger Party in red across the front off it. The techno geek pulled out a burger. "And all the Nasty burgers we can eat!" Snatching the paper and the bag from his two friends Danny ripped into them.

"This is serious guys!" Throwing the items in the trash he continued on about his suspicions. "I can't focus on a party with my parents out of town." Tucker shrugged and Sam followed suit.

"I can," she stated, the trio walking down the halls away from the trash can, a shadow looming over it just seconds later.


	13. Chapter 13

Danny looked over the docks, a rather large luxury liner just yards away from him. He had not been able to convince Sam to come so he had gone it alone. Boarding the cruise were adults, all the adults of Amity that had children as far as he could tell. Against the banister were Sam's parents, all happy and zoned out while his own parents stood hip to hip with them, Jazz smiling as she started out at him.

"Still in port," he whispered to himself as he moved closer to the ramp that was still bogged down with passengers eager to leave. Rushing forward he moved to join the passengers, but before he could get further than a few people a blast knocked him back. Looking up as the adults around him continued past, their eyes staring straight ahead as if nothing unusual had happened.

"What do you think ya be doing, land lover?" the small pirate from earlier inquired as he floated above the former halfa. The parrot floating next to him let out an annoyed sigh causing the kid to look at him.

"It's landlubber."

"Lubber? How does that make any sense?" Without waiting for an answer he turned his attention back to Danny and then threw his hook hand forward with a single command. "Get him!" The pirates rushed at Danny, but he had a few tricks up his sleeve from his halfa days and began to fight back, though without his ghostly energy it was pretty futile. Had he not brought some of his father's inventions he might have not had a fighting chance. First he pulled out the Jack o' Nine Tails, the bright green and metallic weapon managing to grab the minor, though not for long when the parrot dove down at him while the other pirate ghosts grabbed for the invention. Once out of Danny's reach the small pirate was released and the former halfa found himself captured by more of the ghost pirates, a pain in the back of his head the last thing he remembered as the world grew dark.

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Danny awoke in a dark space, but after glancing around for a moment he realized that he wasn't tied up or anything, strange considering that they had taken him hostage, but he went with it and rushed out of the small space and past the adults that were still in a daze. He wanted to shake his parents, even Jazz would have been some assistance if she wasn't spaced out as well, but with a sigh he rushed off the ship before it left the port behind him. He would need to figure out what was happening before whoever had done this completed their plan, but who was it and what were they doing with just adults? Were they using them for something or were the kids the real targets all along?

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Several teens danced in pairs, the music blaring around them as lights flashed above them. A white door opened to reveal Danny, the raven haired teen standing there in shock, his sneakers quiet as he took a few hesitant steps forward.

"Not being invited to a party is one thing," he said with a sigh as the door closed behind him. "But at my own house...now that is screwed up." Running past the other students he headed for the one radio in the room, the medium entertainment in the house shut off in one quick pull of the plug. Standing there, the cord limp in his hand he looked proud...until he realized that the music was still playing. "Wait! Where is that music coming from?" He looked around the room, but there was nothing. Then he realized where it was coming from. Rushing from the room, to one that was above it he found Sam and Tucker before his parents' equipment. Sam stood before a mic, discs spinning before her while Tucker messed around with other equipment.

"Welcome to the PARTY!" Sam yelled enthusiastically. "Fiercely independent radio!" With a narrow of her amethyst orbs she continued. "100% free of corporate interference."

"Except for this!" Tucker stated before taking a bite of a rather large burger, the juices dripping from the sandwich. "Brought to you by Nasty Burger! Remember that Nasty is just one letter short of Tasty." The doorway was open when Danny burst in!

"Wait!" He stopped before the pair of teens. "You guys have to stop the broadcast." He threw his hands up, the movement ignored by the teens. "The party below is out of hand."

"The party?" Tucker and Sam inquired, while confused didn't seem very upset about this new development.

"How can you not know?!" the former halfa inquired in shock. Sam narrowed her gaze with a gesture.

"Well, duh. How could we know with the pair of us doing the first broadcast?" She pulled out one of the Vapor records, Danny staring at it in shock and mild confusion. He inquired as to why she had one of the vile things, the one song that had brainwashed his parent and several adults in Amity.

"They are great scratch spotters." And that's when she began to scratch the record, but this time there was an interesting sound. This time Sam stopped as Danny gave instructions to play again, this time slower than she had before. Again the phrase that had played seconds before played even more clearly.

Leave your kids.

All three of them looked at the album in shock and confusion because there was something familiar about the voice. It was so familiar and yet none of them could place the tone and pitch.

Leave your kids. Come to the cruise.

"Subliminal advertising?" Sam questioned though she knew that was what it was.

"More like mind control," the raven haired male confirmed. Tucker questioned the fact that music could control people and then he stated something quietly.

"That sounds familiar." The ground shook them, the ceiling cracking before little bits of debris dropped around them. Rushing to the window the saw clouds of grey swirling outside, the town in almost total darkness. Before them the clouds opened and a rather familiarly annoying ship emerged. Before them was the ship that had taken the ghost shield generator and now there was a new face on board. Before them wasn't a little boy, but a rather teenage looking female. She held a guitar and although her clothing was more pirate than pop star they knew her.

"That's right pop fans!" she crowed. "Ember is back! And she is ready to rock!" With a strum of her guitar a magenta colored blast echoed forward. It shook Fenton Works, the three teens holding their ears at the obnoxious chord. Tucker fell back, his hands going to an ad brochure on the ground.

"M Bersback!" he said in question. Danny and Sam looked at him, the message clear. "Ember's Back!"

"We really need to pay better attention to these," Danny stated with a smack of his forehead.

"Going ghost!" Sam cried, the white rings of her transformation sliding over her. Going transparent she rushed thru the ceiling, the other two teens watching as she disappeared from view.

"Wasting your time, wannabe," Ember stated leaning forward to strike a large red button. The sky around the ship sparkled with the electricity of the shield that appeared, the ball of ecto energy pushing her back with a cry of pain. The Pirate Kid flew forward, making a face and taunting the downed Sam that was smacked flat against the barrier.

"Na na na na!" Realizing that both Ember and his parrot companion were looking at him he changed his words moments later. "I mean arg!" Sam ignored them as she began to attack.

"Music business so crappy that you needed to take up babysitting brats?" Ember just blew it off.

"Both us have one very important thing in common."

Together they said, "Adults! Hate them!"

"Youngblood helps me get rid of the over thirties so I can take over the world," she stated as the pair hovered next to each other, the former teal haired idol strumming her guitar. "And I provide him the power for his war ships." Below them all the adults ran on treadmills, all of the machines in question hooked to a large machine with a floating ghost warden looking out, a whip, a sandwich on the end, in his possession. Jack rushed after it as the same vapor music droned on.

"Problem is that your radio station is jamming my frequency and I can't hypnotize anymore adults!" She looked up at her in anger, her plan flawed because of her.

"But not for long!" the small pirate kid cried. "Attack!" The skeletons in front of him manning the cannons let them blast into the skies at the halfa. The red cannonball projectiles managed to strike the Goth, her small form blasted back toward the OPs center where Tucker and Danny were trying to do something on the controls before them. Her transformation was cut short by the blast so she now sat before them as human.

"Turn on the defense system!" she commanded, the pair looking at her in confusion as they asked how. "Just start pushing buttons! Danny, you should know more about your parents inventions!" All of them were frustrated, but quickly the trio worked together, all pairs of hands pushing as many buttons as they could. Alarms went off. Weird things appeared above the OPs center, a sign was the last to appear before it was blown to bits.

In the room below the trio where the party raged on teens continued to dance until parts of the ceiling began to fall, lights crashing next to pairs dancing close. Outside Fenton Works the pirate ship, glowing green with the Fenton shield moved closer to the building, it's target the building itself. Ramming into the ghost hunters' home forced Tucker back into a panel and Sam off her feet and into Danny. The pair fell further and onto the record player that Sam had been scratching on earlier.

A wave of pink energy blasted forth from the satellite above them knocking the ship back. The occupants on the ship were thrown back as Danny and Sam met eyes.

"What did we do?"

"We struck a blow for independent radio!" the Goth cried with a smirk.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Tucker said with a smile. "Throw it into heavy rotation! Oh, and don't forget to throw in a plug for Nasty Burger. I promised them twelve hits an hour." Danny was the one to take over, his hands holding half of the headset to one ear while moving the record with the other. Scratching it back and forth he was able to knock the ship further back.

"We need more power!" Ember barked to Youngblood. "I can't lure more adults aboard if I can't broadcast my music!" The young ghost didn't speak up before his parrot intervened.

"Time to do it the old fashioned way, like true pirates!" Flying away from his child companion he headed for the steering wheel. Manipulating the large wooden wheel he turned the ship away from where the ghost fighters were and out toward Amity.


	14. Chapter 14

As they rushed over the town several of the ghostly pirate crew jumped out and began to capture adults, parents that were in the middle of nighttime tasks. Some were reading, others were grabbing a snack and a pair of them were getting married. Screams filled the air, drawing several teens from Fenton Works. Paulina looked up in shock, the others that crowded around her sharing in that confusion.

"They got my parents!" the Latina exclaimed, Dash pointing out that his too were being abducted.

"Cool!" Kwan stated. "Party at Dash's house!" Paulina was the one to react, her words harsh as he shoved him away, the Asian male bumping into Dash now, the jock pushing him too. From there a fight broke out, several teens taking down people who had been their friends. Above them stood Danny, Sam, and Tucker on the roof overlooking the chaos.

"We have to get our parents back," Tucker stated.

"How, we can't get up there and I can't get past the ghost shield!" the raven haired female stated with a gesture to the ship in the distance where adults were still being taken.

"You man not be able to, but I might have a way." Sam was shocked at the confidence in Danny's tone and the look in his eyes. She was proud of him, the confidence he was showing and without his powers no less. Maybe being a ghost boy had helped him to feel stronger than he thought. Pulling a megaphone out of thin air, the squeal of it making the bickering teens stop. "If you want your parents back then you need to follow my lead!"

"Why should we follow you, Fentoad?!" Dash cried out with the teens around him nodding in agreement.

"Alright, Dash," Danny cried, Sam glowering while Tucker looked down at the teens without a real look at all. "Let's follow the other kid that comes from a family of ghost hunters and knows how to use their equipment." That silenced the jock. "No takers? Didn't think so. Who's with me?" That brought a chorus of cheers up from his peers, hands raised high in support of the former halfa.

"How did you do that?" Tucker inquired, while Sam herself wondered the same.

"You just have to know the right words." The Goth smirked.

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Moments later found them in the house with Danny standing at the railing handing out instructions.

"Paulina, as you are good with makeup you take care of making Tucker into an adult so he can get onto the pirate ship undetected." She saluted to him before snagging the dark skinned male and dragging him off, but not without muttering something about him not having a chance with her. Amazingly enough he blew her off and continued. Talking into his walkie talkie he instructed Star to continue scratching the records, another peer with her.

"Kwan, you are on defense." He turned around to the other jock. "Dash, you are with me on offense. We are getting the adults out of there."

"So, I get to hit people?" he questioned gleefully.

"Oh, ye- Not me!" he yelled as the blond male grabbed him by the front of his white shirt.

"Sorry," the jock said while releasing the raven haired male. "Old habits." Everyone was given a weapon, and all the teens were clothed in the Fenton orange jumpsuits. Most looked ready and a select few looked rather uneasy.

"Alright, people! Let's move!"

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An hour later found Tucker walking outside Fenton works. He appeared to be a little nervous, but dressed as he was it made sense. He looked like a sixty year old man with his balding grey head and the liver spots that graced his crown. His clothing was baggy and stiff. He was bait and bait was always nerve wracking. You were never sure that the prey was going to take the bait or if it was going to fail. Taking a breath he walked over to where the music was coming from and began to yell.

"Hey, you kids! Turn that racket down!" He began to shake his cane at the building completely unaware that a pair of ghosts had come to watch him. "I am an able-minded strong adult!" The came down on him quickly and scooped him up, their figures disappearing into the ship as Danny watched from the ground.

"They swallowed the bait," he said putting his binoculars down and speaking closer into the walkie talkie.

"How do we get up there though?" Sam asked from the other end.

"I don't know yet. I just need to think like a Fenton." He looked toward the OPs center, his eyes thoughtful as they looked at the saucer shaped object. "Where would my father hid the key to the OPs?" It took a moment but suddenly he was sure where it was. "Someplace I would see every time I went there." Smiling he rushed to the OPs center and sure enough, in the fridge next to the ham, was a button, an Emergency OP Center Release Button. Slamming it down the building he was in began to shake. Everyone around him steadied themselves as a voice came over the speakers.

Emergency OP Center Activated...Also, the ham has spoiled.

It seemed to take forever, but the OPs center began to shake even more as locks were released and a large blimp popped out over them. On the large blimp was Jack Fenton's face.

"Wow, now your dad is the second biggest blimp in the family," Sam stated sarcastically. Danny looked shocked at her statement, but blew it off as the ship began to lift off toward the pirate ship.


	15. Chapter 15

"Nice, fresh fuel," Ember said as the pair of ghosts walked in with Tucker. The dark skinned male took a good look around at all the adults running or biking on exercise equipment. "Strap the geezer in while I keep this group motivated." She turned from Tucker while playing a song on her guitar. Around her were several ghosts, including Youngblood and his bird companion. It didn't take long to get Tucker placed on a bike, luckily close to where his own parents were. The music played loudly around them, the engines flaring up with the addition of Tucker's pedaling.

"Mom, dad," he hissed glancing at them out of the corner of his eye. "It's me, Tucker. You guys are under a spell...and looking really trim. Maybe you guys should exercise more often." Becoming serious he looked away from his parents and looked around again. "Now, if I were a ghost shield, where would I be?" It took only moments for him to spot it next to the large engine.

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"Ship ahoy!" came Youngblood's voice over the speakers, his words stopping Ember in her tracks. As she stuck her head up thru the trap door she found her face full of skeleton, the pirates rushing from the deck toward safety as a ship rushed at them. As the ship got closer she could see Danny behind the wheel looking rather confident as his school peers waited for the moment to strike.

As soon as they were close enough Danny called out, "Hit'em!" Star took that cue to scratch the record while Sam stood by for her moment. As the signal hit the shield it pushed them back, the cries of the skeletons echoing in the night skies. As Youngblood called out for a counter strike Danny pushed another button, a rounded shield of metal coming out around the bottom of their blimp.

The blasts ricocheted off the bottom of it as Danny moved the ship over the other one, the metal shield crushing the mast of the ship as well as sending Ember and her kid companion running. They weren't fast enough though as the ship's sails landed on them with a loud crash. Youngblood cut his way out with his hook, his green eyes flashing in anger as he yelled at the teens to stop.

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Inside the ship Tucker crept around a corner, his eyes flickering back and forth before putting a code into the generator. "Sixty seconds until shut down of ghost shield," he stated before looking up at the ceiling. He knew his friends could do it. They could take down the ship and its occupants.

59...58...

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The teens stood gathered on top of the blimp, all of them ready to fight.

57...56...

With a command from Danny the teens extended the Jack O'nine tales toward the ship, their hooks hitting and connecting to the part of the mast that was still up. They swung forward like modern Tarzans, all of them breaking thru the ghost shield with little issue. Sam swung behind Danny, her apprehension obvious, but when she too was easily able to crash thru and onto the ship she smirked.

"Time to go ghost," she muttered with a quick glance around her. Danny watched in horror though as she let out a cry of pain before falling to her knees.

55...54...53...

He was quick to hunch down next to her, his hands on her back in comfort.

"I can't change," she whispered just as Dash jumped in front of him, his Jack O'nine tails striking a group of pirates that had been ready to attack the former halfa and the current halfa. A few feet from him was Star, the small blonde with her weapon, a long stick with two tips of metal cylinders at the end.

"Who hates pirates? Yes, we do! We hate pirates! How about you?" With each word was a kick or flip as she knocked out pirate after pirate.

49...48...47...

"Wow," Sam and Danny said in unison, amazement in their voices. With a smirk they took off together, Danny wielding a different weapon than the Goth halfa. Dash called out to them from a few feet away, the jock having little issue keeping the pirates off him.

"Fenton! You are a hero." The former halfa smiling until Dash continued. "Tomorrow, when I wail on you, I will be wailing on a hero." Sam let out a sigh. She wanted to clobber him when he said shit like that and at the same time the look on Danny's face as he too realized that Dash was a real douche. Shrugging it off he and Sam moved thru the fighting, Sam rushing ahead of him while the male beside her looked back, Paulina hollering something.

43...42...41...

Now Danny moved past her, his body moving easily on a skateboard. He knocked down pirate after pirate until a sound vibe came swirling thru the air. It struck him down, Sam rushing up to him now even as Ember appeared before them. The pirate child next to her looking pleased.

"The only one who rocks this boat is me!" With a strike of her guitar chords heralded another vibe of pink music, a bubble forming around the group, Danny and Sam caught with them. Ember jumped down to stand before the bubble, Youngblood reaching into the bubble as she did. His hook yanking Danny out, Sam attempting to grab her friend back.

35...34...33...

"Time to make ye walk the plank, shark bait." Danny struggled against his foe while Sam looked around for a way to get out of the bubble. Danny wouldn't be safe if he fell from the ship! And she couldn't change into the Phantom with the shield on!

20...19...18...17...16...

Sam watched in horror as Ember and Youngblood walked Danny toward the plank that was being extended by some of the remaining pirates. All the teens around her were glued to what was happening as well, murmurs of unease making her heart sink and her mad all at the same time. They had no faith in their own powers, turning around she began issuing orders of her own, several teens nodding while others looked less than enthusiastic.

Danny was pushed over, his form gone in mere seconds.

3...2...1!

The ghost shield dropped at that moment, the teens scrambling from their spot as a blur of white and black sped forward. Ember was thrown back as several teens rushed at her, most of them her fans from before. Youngblood was also knocked over, but he was pushed aside as more teens rushed at the former idol. Her guitar was thrown with the extra crush of fans, when she pushed the fans aside to grab it she found herself face to face with Danny and...

"How can this be?!" she cried.

"But-t I t-t-thought!" Youngblood stuttered with a look of shock. Sam stood holding the guitar in question, a smirk on her now green lips. Danny stood next to her, the other teens moving to circle them. Ember threw off her hat, her teal hair growing longer like flames of a fire. She aimed them at the teens before her, Danny moving out of the way as Sam took to the air, the teal haired ghost following her. She never left the ground as she continued to blast at Sam, her flames almost striking the now white haired teen, but at the last minute missing and hitting Youngblood's Jolly Roger.

The pirate in question looked upset, his green eyes wide at the destruction of his mark.

"Okay, so maybe not the best idea, but bon voyage kid! See you on my next tour!" She disappeared in a flare of her long teal hair, leaving the young pirate kid alone on the deck. Sam stopped when she noticed that there were no more fireballs heading her way, but upon looking down where the former pop idol had been she found a rather furious Youngblood, a large sword protruding from his sleeve where the hook had been. He rushed at her, his anger fueling his fighting as he sliced the guitar in two. Discarding the larger portion left Sam with the stick of the instrument.

The pair landed on the deck of the ship and began to sword fight, the sound of the clashing weapons echoing around them. Taking to the air moments later found them fighting on the mast of the ship about the now flaming Jolly Roger below them as they continued their fight across while others watched down below. It looked like Youngblood had the upper hand as he swiped his blade thru Sam's stomach, until they all realized that it didn't hurt her. She let out a taunting ha as she smirked at him.

That's when the unexpected happened. He changed both his left hand and leg into small cannons which blasted toward her. Jumping back and off the mast she left Youngblood to deal with the flames that he had created. Landing before the group she searched for Danny.

"Look, it's the ghost girl from before!" Dash called out. Paulina just scowled and turned to see Danny walking toward them.

"Good job," he whispered as the group headed for where the adults were being kept. As the door was thrust open with the help of Dash, the group stopped to see all their parents, and Jazz, sitting on bikes and other exercise equipment looking dazed.

"Looks like a PTA health spa," the blond jock joked.

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Still on the mast was Youngblood, the small pirate looking down at the crowd of humans rushing out of his ship. He wailed out about the escapees as his parrot pointed out something rather important.

"Who is powering the ship then?" With a cry of horror the ship began to plunge down. As it did Sam called out to everyone to come together. Amazingly enough even Jack and Maddie Fenton clung to the ghost commanding them. Danny clung to her as Dash whispered something to her. He watched as she frowned, a look of disgust coming over her pale face. With a moment to clear her mind she hoped that her plan would work.

The small Goth went intangible, her power circulating out to the group making all intangible. As the ship crashed into the water the group floated down slowly. It was at about six feet till the dock when Sam's energy crashed and so did the group that was with her. As everyone sat up, most came to from their adventure while Sam just watched.

"Where have we been?" Jazz questioned.

"And why do I feel like I have buns of steel?" Jack questioned with a look at his butt. Maddie began to cheer.

"Finally!" Until her husband looked at her in confusion. "I mean, I love you just the way you are." Hugging him close Jazz made a comment while looking sick. She hated when her parents got all touchy feely. Sam rushed behind some barrels and transformed only to come out and see Dash punching on Danny.

"What the hell?" she questioned walking over to them. Dash made a comment about trusting a Fenton before walking off leaving the former halfa confused. That's when Jack noticed that all the students walking away were wearing his orange jumpsuits.

"Danny," he said with a sideways look at his kid. "Were you using the emergency OPs center while we were gone?" Danny had the good grace to blush and ask him why he thought that when the thing in question hoovered down behind him.

"Thanks for letting us use this!" Kwan called with a smile. The former halfa face palmed as his parents glared at him.

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The next day found the three teens working to clean up the area where the party had been.

"At least all I got was a month's grounding and I just have to clean up this mess," the raven haired male stated while sweeping up another pop can. Sam smiled as she picked up another plate.

"And you got that awful music off the air too," she said.

"All I got was gas from eating all those Nasty burgers," Tucker complained while tying a bag closed.

"What I never could figure was why Youngblood didn't abandon ship," Danny said. Tucker smiled while pulling out his PDA. He explained to both raven haired teens why the pirate had been unable to leave his ship.

"After we got off I set the shield in reverse so he can't get out." They all chuckled at the idea that one ghost was stuck and could never bother them again. Tucker was proud of himself and Danny and Sam couldn't blame him cause they were proud of him too.


	16. Chapter 16

A red eye blinked as it flew in the green skies of the Ghost Zone, the lone crow-like creature flying lower til it landed on a single tree that overlooked what could be a cemetery. Rocks that resembled tombstones cluttered around a single area where a black haired male loomed over a glass case. As his cape flickered around his legs he opened the case and took out the object that it held, his chuckle of satisfaction low so that only the crows that watched him could hear. As soon as he had his object he rushed off into the skies to a red castle only a few yards away.

The castle stood alone on a small boulder of stone, several little rocks floating around it in no particular direction. As the cloaked male made his way into the large red castle he passed a home much like his own, large and grand. Skeletons holding weapons adorned the main hallway with pictures here and there while in other hallways statues graced the area with long rugs running beneath him.

Minutes later found him at a door, the large doors easily tossed open with a single movement. It lead into a room that looked like the halls he had passed thru earlier, but this one had one difference. It had a green light that shined upon a single item, a sarcophagus of some sort that was high in the sky on a large pedestal.

"Here we are," Vlad stated to himself as he looked up at the many items before him. "Pariah's keep." He looked to a purple jack-o-lantern with a large blade embedded in it. "Home of the Fright Knight." He pulled out a green key. "And before that," he said, sticking the key in the nose of a skeleton that held up a bubble with a single ring in it. "The ghost king." As the key turned in the hidden lock the bubble holding the key melted.

"And here I am, Vlad Plasmius, with all his power in the palm of my hand," he said slipping the ring on. Holding it toward the ceiling proudly he was let down as just a little spark fizzled on the ring and then was gone. "Huh?" He looked to the sarcophagus as if it were its fault and like someone under pressure it told him the missing link. "Ah, yes, the Crown of Fire. The Ring of Rage only works if one is wearing the Crown of Fire," he said now taking the same key from before and stuck it in the chest of the tomb. As he turned the key, the crows from before cried out and flew away as the eyes on the sarcophagus lit up a bloodly red and the door opened. Before the half ghost stood a rather imposing looking figure and on his head was the Crown of Fire. "Alone they are fine, but together, they give you power unimaginable."

As he stood there gawking at the beauty of the item he coveted he failed to notice that one green eye on the dead king before him opened, the other one covered with a patch. What he did notice, his face falling slightly at the sight, was when said king took a big step out of his tomb.

"Who dares?" the large male ghost thundered, his body so large that Vlad had to fly up several feet to meet his green gaze.

"Uh, Vlad," he said, with a motion of unease. Anyone could see that he was surprised and a bit scared of the person before him. "Vlad Plasmius and did I mention that I am a huge fan of your work?" The king's eye narrowed just seconds before his castle's room blew up, expelling Vlad into the skies of the Ghost Zone.

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The king walked down to where the purple pumpkin was being held up by another skeleton. He reached over, yanking the green sword out with little effort. As soon as the sword was released the skeleton allowed the jack-o-lantern to float upward, a bright white light coming from the inside. It spun around, the pumpkin exploding in a giant ball of fire as the Fright Knight appeared, his green eyes narrowed at the fact that he was now a free ghost again.

"Fright Knight lives!" he cried out in triumph, throwing his hands up, but as his sword landed inches from him face his face fell. Behind him stood the king.

"To serve me." The Fright Knight turned, his eyes still wide in shock grew even more round as he saw his former master. Fear went thru him at the sight of the hated king.

"King Pariah? You are up!" he said while getting down on his knees to bow before the royal pain.

"Perhaps it is time to remind you and that intruder who rules this place!"

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Above them Vlad was still recovering, his clothing singed and torn.

"I have got to get out of here before-" He was cut off as the person he feared appeared before him, capturing his whole form in one spiky metal claw. He held Vlad up high, the half ghost opening one bloodshot eye in pain as his body was squeezed beyond what a human could withstand.

"You have freed me from my sarcophagus," Pariah stated. "Thus awaking me from the Forever Sleep." He pulled the small half ghost toward him. "Wait," he said noticing a lack of a certain ring on the black gloved hand of Vlad. "You are not the one that woke me!" He crushed Vlad tighter. "You are a duplicate!" he thundered. As the duplicate vanished Pariah looked around. "So wh-" He stopped and looked down.

"Surly you and I can work out some sort of deal," Vlad said to the Fright Knight as he worked his sword. Slashing it around he looked over at Vlad, unsure of who he was dealing with and who was worse.

"A deal?" he questioned before the pair of them were blasted apart. Making a quick motion to call him Vlad disappeared from the room as fast as he could, passing Pariah in the skies. Smirking with a sureness he sped up, sure he would get away from the king. Unfortunately he was struck rather easily, the blast causing him to de-transform...


	17. Chapter 17

Jack hooked another piece up to what appeared to be a suit, well, part of a body suit where the upper part was missing. Beside him his wife messed with another piece until Jack pushed a button, green button lighting up as a shock went thru the equipment and into the suit. As soon as the power entered it they began to stomp, quickening with each second. Jack looked happy while Maddie looked...apprehensive.

"The Fenton Pants are charged and operational," the older Fenton male proclaimed enthusiastically. "I'm telling you Maddie, with this new ecto-skeleton is finished it will be able to defeat any ghosts, no matter how powerful!"

"I don't know, Jack. The interface is still glitchy...and dangerous." She looked down into the body where buttons and other wires could be seen. She looked at her husband now. "Before we even think of using this we need to make sure it is safe and all the bugs are worked out." Before her husband could say a thing to her criticism Vlad came thru the portal and over their heads. As he landed, his form smoking and half a sleeve missing, his hand closed around a small green ring. Both Fenton parents rushed to stand over the fallen male.

"Vlad Masters?" the redhead questioned. Vlad opened his eyes at that moment, his voice weak as he spoke to them.

"Jack, my fat old friend," he said holding his arm up toward the other man. "Help me." Those were his final words as he passed out.

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Sam walked up to the pair of teen males, both looking at her more than tired appearance. Her hair wasn't straight, some of the strands flying around her face while her face was actually covered in a light smudge of base.

"Long night?" Tucker inquired. The Goth nodded. She was proud of herself for her two captures last night, but she had completely worn herself out with the energy she had used for it.

"Ember and Skulker both decided they had to run amok last night," she stated trying to straighten the wild locks that still refused to be tamed. Danny felt bad for the teen. While he had had his powers for weeks and months, she had only had it for a few weeks and was still getting used to having little energy. Her body was unused to such a drain and it was taking it's toll as it had on him in the beginning. The one good thing was he now remembered having such powers and could help her when a new one appeared.

"Did you have enough time to do the homework that Lanc-" She pulled out a paper with a smile. Danny was just about to say what a good day it was, when a certain blond jock chose that moment to throw a football, catching the unsuspecting Danny off guard and into a tree. As her friend sat there stunned the Goth found that her power was bubbling. She glared at the jock and the other teammate that was with him, the pair of players running off laughing at their joke. Although she hardly felt the need to retaliate to the childish attitudes of the preps, she found that she was tired of their treatment of her friend.

Sending a blast of power toward a sign just feet from the two males, the green blast striking the base of the sign and knocking it down. The two jocks were caught unaware and tripped. Sam walked over to the sign, picked it up and said while smirking, "No stopping anytime, jerks." Before they could respond she dropped the sign and rushed back to Danny's side, the two males looking at her in shock. She had always been the one telling him not to use his powers that way and yet, she had used it for that very reason.

"They deserved it," she muttered while continuing on toward the school. "I don't plan on doing what you were doing and playing with fire."

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In the cafeteria a pair of band nerds played a card game, the heavier one placing a card down while proclaiming his move.

"Oh man," the other male complained, his hand being tossed on the table in defeat. "You bored my character to death." Just then the door opened to reveal Sam, the now not so sleepy teen rushing into the half empty room with a look of pure terror. Spotting a spot that would hide her well the Goth rushed to hide just moments before the door burst open to reveal Paulina, her face red with anger.

"MANSON!" she screamed with a quick look around. When she failed to spot her prey she rushed back out. Under the table where the nerds were playing found Sam sitting in the darkness, her lavender eyes relaxing as she let out a sigh. For some reason the cheerleader was on a rampage and Sam was her target. She couldn't figure it out. She had been with Tucker and Danny one moment and the next moment found a rather red looking Latina coming at her from the front of the school.

"Why don't you find your own hiding spot," a voice beside her spat. Looking next to her Sam found a rather unlikely companion.

"Valerie," she hissed.

"You're not the only one that needs to hide," the other female stated just moments before a rather interesting looking male appeared, his red afro and green striped shirt making the darker skinned woman wince.

"Valerie!" he moaned out. "There are only three years until senior prom! Why won't you say yes!?" He had by this time produced a picture as he cried out for his obvious crush. Sam found it hilarious especially since she didn't like the other female.

"Three years? You could be here a while." Although they didn't like each other the dark skinned teen managed a smile at that one. Both waited for the red headed teen to run off before heading out from under the table. Sam didn't say a word to the other female as she checked to make sure the halls were clear of a certain Latina Ice Queen.

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Sam ran down the street, her boots clomping on the ground below her as she ran from another nightmare, her mother. Turning the corner she ran into Valerie. Both girls didn't waste a moment saying anything as the sound of both their nightmares came rushing around the corner. Sam turned and took off down the street, Valerie close on her heels. They found a hiding place, a large dumpster, only to discover that it was being used by Danny, the former halfa crouching down in attempt to not be seen by whoever he was hiding from.

As they crouched down with him Sam's mother ran by, in her hands a rather girly, frilly pink dress with hearts and a collar made of lace. Danny let out a chuckle, the Goth shooting him a look when another predator came around the opposite corner.

"Fentard! When I find you!" This time Sam smiled knowing she wasn't the only one being followed.

"And I assume the redhead from earlier is after you," Sam stated. The former popular teen nodded. Danny pointed toward a goal, Fenton Works, in the distance.

"We can all hide at my house," he said before making a run for it. Sam came in close behind him as Valerie just jogged behind them, as if not sure where she fit in with the pair. Danny shot Sam a look.

"So, why are you hanging out with her?" The Goth shrugged.

"Not really hanging out, more like running from our nightmares," the raven haired teen stated. "Not like we are friends, but on that same note, why are you helping her?"

"I wasn't, but you two are running together so I guess she gets to come with," was his response.

"Okay, but she is your enemy," the Goth warned before remembering that Danny wasn't the ghost the other teen was after anymore. She was. "Shit." The former halfa was going to make a quip about that when he opened the door to find Vlad sitting in his living room, having tea and playing chess with his father while Maddie and Jazz stood by idly.

"Hello, Daniel."


	18. Chapter 18

"Vlad, what are you doing here?" Danny questioned. The other male raised a brow in question at the attitude from the teen as Maddie herself reacted in a way unforeseen.

Pouring some hot tea in his lap she stated in a monotone voice, "Very valid question."

"Still steaming?" Vlad questioned. It was at that moment that both ghost fighters realized another important item of business. Sam grabbed Danny and excused themselves before heading up to his room leaving Valerie downstairs with the adults and Jazz.

The adults gave each other a look, Jack's more of a proud look while Maddie seemed mildly concerned. Valerie eyed the slender rich man with them. She felt that she had seen him before. He seemed to notice her as well, but at this point he wasn't sure what she could do for him. She wasn't important enough to get his attention and yet he felt that he had seen her before, then it struck him.

"Your father just lost his job, didn't he?" The young woman gave him a quizzical look. "Because of a ghost, right?" Now her teal eyes narrowed at his knowledge of her fall from grace.

"How do-" She was cut off as he dug out a small gold card. Looking at the card she glanced back at him. "Vlad Masters? The millionaire?" He smirked.

"I may have a job that could bring you back out of misfortune." Eyes still looking at him suspiciously she waited for him to continue. "If you are up to the challenge." That got her attention. "Give me a call if you change your mind."

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Upstairs Sam shut the door before turning to her longtime friend. The room was silent as she contemplated the words that she wanted to say, though she was sure that he would have figured it out.

"If we never unwished you having powers than does that mean that everything was undone?" He looked thoughtful. "Vlad is obviously still his evil self, but what about Valerie? She turned the way she was because of that run in with ghost dog, Cujo, but if you never ran thru her father's job to capture him then is she after either of us?"

"I don't know," he stated honestly. "The ghosts are still here so maybe some of that stuff is true even if you have taken over." That made them both think, both wondering similar thoughts...and opposite thoughts.

Sam was wondering about Paulina's sudden hate toward her having to do with her powers and Danny was thinking about how Dash was suddenly interested in the Goth standing before him. He had also thought about how without his powers Paulina wanted nothing to do with him, not even when he could see that he was helping the Phantom.

"So, what do we do?" Sam inquired. "With Vlad I mean..." she faded off leaving Danny to wonder as to what she had been thinking of.

"Well, as I have never fought him, at least to his knowledge," the former halfa stated. "That means that we are at an advantage knowing who he is while he is in the dark that there is another half ghost running around." Sam nodded, though she herself was unsure of how her wish had played out. She almost wished that she had unwished it. Then she looked at him again and knew she had made the right choice.

"We should probably go downstairs and see why he is here though," the Goth pointed out. "Judging by the way he looks he seems hurt, or at least got his ass handed to him." The former halfa nodded. Rushing back downstairs they found that Valerie had left and that Vlad was still seated on the couch, though he was rather wet from the coffee Danny's mother had poured on him.

"What are you doing here, Vlad?" Danny queried, though he still was uncertain if he and this man had a good relationship.

"Ah, well, Daniel, I thought to myself that I would pop in for a visit and then I saw that wonderful battle suit that your father is building..." he faded off as he looked over to Jack, who was still playing chess with him, a lost look on his face. "And knew that I couldn't just beat up my good friend and take the suit away, so I might as well just steal the secrets of the suit from him!" For a moment all was silent until both Vlad and Jack broke out in laughter.

"Such a kidder!" Jack bellowed while Jazz, Danny, and Sam looked rather bemused.

"Maddie, may I have some more of that delicious tea?" The red head in question responded by pouring the hot tea over his white head, the other half ghost letting out a cry of pain while repeating, "Not there! Not there!" He then turned to Danny. "Now, why not scurry on your way and do teenager things." It was at that moment that the half ghost looked confused, as if he felt something were odd in his response to the dark haired teen and his friends.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

A Jack head on a nearby counter went off, the eyes blinking red with each beep that left it's speakers. The two parental ghost fighters rushed to the spot, Jack flipped back the head, like it were a toupee, and pushed the red button he had revealed.

The picture above it spun around to reveal a ghost radar, the green lines that streaked across it showing Amity Park. On the screen a green circle that rippled out showed their location while what appeared to be a bunch of heads came from the left upper part of the screen toward them.

"It's the ecto-exodus alarm!" the heavy set male cried in a almost corny way.

"The whaty what?!" all the teens cried in confusion while Maddie began to explain what her husband was talking about.

"It only goes off if we are about to face a massive ghost attack!" Sam and Danny looked to each other in horror and then back to the screen where the ghosts were getting closer to the portal. Whispering to Danny the Goth rushed off, Jack trying to follow a few moments later only to be tripped by his son and Jazz taking down her mother with a drop of a book. As their parents lay immobilized the former halfa shot a look at his sister in confusion. She smiled and then looked away.

Did she know? That was the first thought in his head before he dismissed it. It was that moment that Vlad decided to sneak out of the Fenton home, his presence forgotten.

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Below them in the basement Sam rushed toward the portal, willing herself to change mid stride as she stopped mere feet before the portal. As she watched to green swirling tides she readied herself for the onslaught that had been shown on the screen above her. Around her alarms went off, the red making her even more tense as the sounds echoed around her.

"Here we go," she muttered. Just then a familiar, annoying head popped out along with his body.

"BEWARE!" he cried, though the look of fear on his face never even registered to Sam as she smacked her face in annoyance and let out a giggle of relief.

"It's just you!" she cried out just seconds before a blast knocked her back several feet and onto her back. She looked up, but before she could get up further a large, sharp boot slammed onto her chest knocking the wind out of her. "S-Skulker?" she managed to wheeze out as the large mechanical ghost stood over her. He paid her no mind as he turned toward the portal.

"I told you there was a way out thru here!" With those words several familiar ghosts stuck their heads out before rushing past the downed halfa. As he ordered them to go Sam watched in both horror and shock, her long white hair rushing behind her at the wind the large amount of ghosts passing thru her best friend's basement.


	19. Chapter 19

Grasping a hold of the ghost holding her down she took to the skies, with Skulker flailing around. Tossing him away she fell back, her fist rushing at him ready to strike when a blue claw grasped her gloved fingers. Looking up she found herself looking face to face with Dora, the dragon who had initially captured her for her brother with Sidney sitting atop of her.

"You might be the halfa, but we have a legit reason to be here," the black and white ghost stated. "Skulker isn't the bully in this situation." Now Sam was confused. Bully? Smacking herself she then remembered that Danny had been the one to meet and trade places with the ghost before her.

"What bully? What are you all running from?!"

"His name is Pariah Dark," came a female voice from above. Sam looked up as Ember emerged from the group. "He is the enemy of all ghosts." Now the group of familiar ghosts gathered around her.

"And while we may be in a hurry," Skulker said with an evil grin. "We always have time for this!" With a strike of a fist Sam was thrown back and into the ground, her body still not used to the power it held, she found that she wasn't that fast in dodging. More ghosts came at her, all of them using her as a punching bag. She tried to fight back and found that while she could get a few good hits in she wasn't as strong as Danny had been and was unable to keep up against the abuse for too long.

Danny rushed out, his eyes falling on the fallen halfa.

"Sam, are you okay?" With the look that she shot him he knew he had asked a rather stupid question. "Well, more of are your bones still intact?" She nodded with a groan.

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Several blocks away Valerie stood with Vlad on top of building, her school clothing having been traded for a maroon red suit. She held what appeared to be a surfboard, but judging by the way it floated a little off the ground that wasn't what it was.

"This is great," she whispered in awe as she looked at it. "It would help me get back at those things for what they did to my day, but..." she faded off looking up at him. "Why give this to me? I am like fourteen!" He smirked, his thoughts going to all the work she was going to be doing for him.

"Why else?" he queried. "You are fast and strong." She seemed reluctant so he continued. "And you are motivated."

"Really?" He smirked even wider, the air around them growing tense.

"Yes, why else would I say it?" As he leaned back, the light hit him just right that he looked rather evil. "I would have to be some sort of diabolical villain to manipulate you like that." It took seconds, the tension more thick in the air before both of them broke out into laughter. "I kill me," he stated wiping a tear from his eye. "Or Jack." Seeing that she heard the last part he continued. "And my dear it's the reason I can trust you with this." Reaching into his jacket he pulled out a green ring, the teen before him eyeing it with curiosity.

"A ring?"

"Not just any ring," Vlad stated. "It's been passed down from ghost hunter to ghost hunter for several decades and now, I want to give it to you." She took the ring, her eyes now glowing with a lust for the object.

"I don't know what to say," she stated while putting the glowing ring on her finger, her hand and arm glowing for a mere second as she looked up to him. He took her hand in his.

"Don't say anything. Just keep this our little secret." He handed her a check just as an eerie sound flowed thru the night air.

"What was that?" she inquired before stuffing the check into her pocket.

"Probably Jack messing up again," Vlad stated. "You know what to do." With a nod she pulled the hood of her outfit over her face, the mask hiding her identity as she jumped onto the board and flew off.


	20. Chapter 20

Watching her fly off he transformed into Plasmius, the ghost that was known to do nothing but bad things.

"While Jack Fenton is off protecting you, I will sneak in and take that battle suit with little to stop me!" He let out a chuckle before taking off into the skies to await his chance at the Fenton home.

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Meanwhile in the Ghost Zone several skeleton troops lined up, each of them from a different time. There were army men, Roman men, and the final group was Viking men. Before the three groups stood the Fright Knight, his feet moving as he asked questions of who appeared to be his subordinates.

"Your armies ready?" he finally inquired. The three leaders saluted him. "Then on my ord-" Behind him Pariah thundered out a warning.

"On my orders!" He leaned down close to the Fright Knight while looking out over his armies. "Go to that land and get my ring!" He paused as his eyes narrowed even further. "And to those that stand in your way, show no mercy." The leaders of the armies, as well as the Fight Knight bowed low on their knees to the ghost commanding them while the amassed army of skeletons chanted while throwing up their fists.

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The next morning found Sam looking rather exhausted, her eyes red and shadows forming under her eyes. Tucker winced as he mentioned her less than stellar appearance, gaining a grumble from the Goth as well as a glare. She walked away from the two males, her words low as she complained about her night. The two males followed her after a glance of worry toward each other. They both knew with her powers being new to her body that this wasn't good. They wanted to help her, but with her being the Phantom and them being without powers, there was nothing they could do to help.

"There was ghost after ghost that escaped last night," she mumbled. "And there are still several million on the loose."

"At least you don't have to worry about your arch enemy sleeping in the room next to yours," Danny grumbled. Sam muttered something about her parents sleeping next to her room and with a shudder continued on toward their table. At that moment Valerie walked by, greeting Sam as if they were buddies. The Goth paid her little attention as she continued on. But she didn't get far as the other teen approached her with a warning.

"You might want to head outside," she whispered before walking away. The semi-awake Goth raised a brow in confusion, but had her answer as Paulina appeared behind her with several of her cheerleading crew.

"Great," Sam muttered.

"Hello, Manson," the Latina stated with a smirk. "No nerds to hid you this time." Sam felt her anger rise. She had had enough of this particular teen.

"Paulina, just because your daddy doesn't give you enough attention doesn't mean that I want to give you that attention. Don't you have a man to steal or maybe some lunch to throw up?" Danny felt his mouth drop open while Tucker took a step back as the lead cheerleader's face grew red. The Ice Queen let out a huff and went to grab Sam's hair only to come up with nothing as the Goth's hair went intangible for one quick second. Sam stood there in shock as did the whole lunchroom. She hadn't even realized what she had done until Paulina went in for another hit only to come up empty again.

Sam took that moment to use her powers again, though she normally wouldn't she found that in this case she was willing to bend the rules. Melting the cheerleaders shoes to the ground she watched as the Latina female flailed her arms as she began to fall forward. Her crew didn't even bother to assist her, their own looks of shock mirroring the ones around. Just before she hit the ground though Valerie did something that left those around her taking a step back while the Goth before her smirked in approval.

She put her lunch tray down and kicked it before the other female, her pretty face landing in the burger and fries with a loud smack! As cheers went up around them Valerie walked off while Danny looked to Sam in almost disapproving way.

"Sam, she didn't deserve that." The Goth shot him a glare and walked off. Danny and Tucker watched her leave.

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"Vlady!" Jack called from under the upper body of his new body suit. "Can you hand me that whatchamacallit?" The person in question handed it to him.

"Here you go, old chum." Straightening up he looked at the suit in question, his hand resting on the large "F" on the chest. "Any idea when this is going to be done?" Jack peeked out from under the suit.

"Don't push me, V-Man," he said with a slight frown. "I am working on it as fast as I can." As he wheeled back under it Vlad frowned at the place he had been. At that moment the ground began to shake and a sound of neighing came from the area with the portal.

"Could we possibly hurry it up a little bit?" Maddie chose that moment to rush into the room, her eyes hidden behind her red goggles, but judging by her voice and they way she stood she was worried.

"What was that?!" she inquired, her husband wheeling out as calm as could be with a "that might have been me" response.

"I made huevo rancheros for breakfast," the large man stated as he got up from the ground. At that moment the portal door came crashing into the room, half the door struck the heavy set male, knocking him to the ground. Vlad made a half hearted attempt to warn the other male...too late. Stepping back he turned to watch in shock as the Fright Knight came forth, his sword pointed outward as he yelled out instructions his several hundred skeletons that rushed forward from the green depths of the portal.

"Go forth and find the Master's ring!" With that cry all the skeleton ghosts rushed forth and thru the walls and ceiling to do as they had been bid. Maddie moved toward her downed husband.

"Jack, we have to close the portal!" He let out a groan.

"I'll get right on that." With that said his wife ran off toward a lever, the end of it red like a target. She took a jump and almost grasped it when the Fright Knight got a hold of her. Her wrist pinned in his strong fingers she let out a cry of pain. As she was held high like a trophy before the two men with her, Jack managed to free himself from the rubble that had once been the door to the Ghost Zone.

"Let go of the woman I love!" came the cry from both Jack and Vlad, the heavy man throwing his friend a look of uncertainty.

"Like a dear friend," Vlad continued before turning the attention of his foe toward the upper body of the suit. "Is any part of that damn suit operational?!"

"The pants part is," Jack stated. "But it's not configured yet and using the suit could kill you." The half ghost looked at the raven haired male, his face going a little pale at the thought of dying.

"Well, it is your suit. You should do it." A shot was fired from the sword of the Fright Knight, the target Vlad until Jack shoved him into a wall.

"That it is, V-Man." He ran off and jumped into the suit's bottom half. "It's time to kick some ass and these are just the pants for kicking them in!" With a battle cry he turned on the suit, it's machine-like tentacles forming a spine on his back while other wires and cables formed a rib cage around his large form. Others slinked down his arm, their appearance like nerves that were naturally part of humans.

He jumped, in the suit, toward his opponent...the Fright Knight. The other male was not amused by this new display of bravery...or stupidity... Taking another shot at Jack the ghost watched in shock as the heavy man began to rush around, his movements so fast that he created a minor tornado in the small space. Vlad was pushed forward and around by the wind while Jack leapt up and kicked at the hand that held his wife. She was freed as the Knight was forced to drop her.

Jack took that chance to make a wisecrack before kicking the Fright Knight out of the basement and into the air outside.

"And it's good!" the heavy set man yelled in triumph.


	21. Chapter 21

Maddie and Vlad rushed to his side as the male parent congratulated himself, claiming that he was all powerful just before his hand touched his head, his eyes looking rather glazed as a meter on the front of the suit showed that something had gone down.

"The suit is draining you like a battery!" Maddie exclaimed in horror as she pulled her husband close to her. She turned to Vlad. "Help me get these pants off of Jack!" The other male turned a rather red color before taking a step back, his hands up to ward off the woman he had claimed to love.

"Um, not going to happen," he stated. She threw him a glare as he rushed off.

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Meanwhile outside the house, in the streets of Amity, an army of skeleton ghosts rampaged. They walked and flew thru the streets, most of them picking up cars and throwing them into windows while others just ripped off the doors of cars looking for a human to capture or destroy. At this point the only thing anyone knew about these ghosts were that they were bad news. More of the green boned ghouls rushed into homes while others pulled up parking meters and fire hydrants. As humans ran thru the streets one black and white ghost watched from on top a building looking rather remorseful about what was happening around him.

"Those poor humans!" he cried turning to look at the ghosts that stood before him. "They are being overrun by ghost bullies!" The others before him looked as if they could care less.

"So what," one particular teal haired ghost said. "Who cares about them! That is the ghost King's crew and that means that he is on his way here!" The others seemed to agree with Ember, but Sidney didn't like it one bit.

"We need to take this chance while the humans are confused and panicking to hide ourselves," Skulker, a mechanical ghost added. The others smiled and with a look toward the grey skies they were off as the skeletons below them continued to fight their way thru the city. The lunch lady was the first to take her new home at Nasty Burger, scaring the one human that was in the kitchen cooking food.

The next one was the box ghost who found himself at home with the box storage place down the street from there. Next was Ember, standing over a crowd of teens who had been her fans, who scared off the next batch of humans with the strum of her guitar. As the glass broke all the humans made a run for it, the large group passing by the sporting good store where Skulker was. He stood before what could have passed for a throne and shot a few blasts at the human males that gawked at him in fear. After they had gone another ghost appeared, the same one who had pitied the humans being chased from their homes and jobs.

"This isn't right," he said to Skulker. "We are no better than the ghost king by pushing these humans from their homes." Skulker looked skeptical.

"No one lives here!" he thundered. "This is a place of business." Shooting an arrow at him the mechanical ghost smirked at his work. Sidney looked nostalgic as he hung from the wall of the hunting goods store.

"This is familiar."

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On the other side of town several skeletons headed for Casper High, the skies over it darkening while the teens inside the school had no idea they were about to be scared out of their minds.

"You two are blind," the raven haired woman complained. The pair looked at each other first and then shot an unbelieving look at the halfa in front of them.

"Valerie is bad, not to mention she would crush you on any other day so what makes her such a great person to be around?!" the pair practically yelled.

"You guys are crazy. She and I aren't friends or anything, so what does it matter if she and are not fighting every time we pass each other in the hall." At that moment Valerie walked by, her smile at the Goth making Danny scowl. He didn't trust the other peer. She stopped and at that moment the two males decided to look away making the once popular teen look to the Goth in confusion.

"What is their problem?" Tucker glanced at her sideways as he had a small crush on the dark skinned teen.

"They are just really awesome friends that don't seem to think I can take care of myself." Valerie managed to look offended enough that Danny even looked over at her.

"It's not like you're a weak female like Paulina!" the other female stated before walking off. Sam waved at her as she shot her two friends another look before a wisp of blue breath left her lavender lips.

"Crap! I have to go." Rushing off she turned a corner only to run into Paulina. The cheerleader reached out to grasp the raven haired beauty's shirt. "Paulina! Let the hell go." The cheerleader ignored her as she took a deep and shaky breath. It was then that the Goth noticed the skeletons outside the window.

"I don't have time for this." Sam took that moment to overshadow the female in front of her. Moments later the cheerleader rushed down the hall, past Sam's two friends who watched the dark haired female disappear into the bathroom, a click of the lock sounding moments later before Sam took off out leaving the Latina alone in the bathroom.


	22. Chapter 22

Valerie turned to the two males, a question in her eyes as she looked in the direction that Sam had rushed off to.

"Where is she always rushing off to?" she muttered, the pair of males looking rather worried at the sudden interest where their halfa friend was doing. There was no way that this human female could know Sam was off fighting ghosts. "Only girls I know that rush off have something important to do or someone they are dying to see...like a boyfriend." A smirk twisted the teen's lips. "I can't believe I didn't notice that earlier! The Goth girl must have a boyfriend!" It was Danny who looked scathingly at the female.

"Sam doesn't have a boyfriend!" Tucker just shook his head. As far as Sam went he knew that she only hung out with them, the only two males in her life besides her father.

"Seems that you like her," the dark skinned teen stated and when Danny opened his mouth to ask more the teen shook her head. "You should make a move before someone else steps into that position." With that said she walked off

"She's just my friend!" the former halfa fumed. "Why would Valerie think that I care who she dates besides the fact that as a friend I don't want her hurt." Before Tucker could get a word in a beep came from his pocket and he pulled out his PDA as a transmission from the local news became to fill the halls.

"This is Tiffany Snow with GEBS, Ghost Emergency Broadcast System and Amity Park is in the throes of a massive ghost attack!" The female that had been broadcasting continued to do that as the screen changed to one of the ghost skeletons attacking humans and vehicles alike as they made their way across the town. "And now here is Lance Thunder with the ghost weather!" As it changed to a male, a blond male who didn't look to happy to be there, the male teens looked to each other in slight unease.

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"As you can see," Lance stated with a sweep of his hand over the board behind him. "We have random ghost attacks in malls, parks, and even in this box store." As the camera changed to show a small store Jack and Maddie watched the screen in horror. "If you look to the west you can see that the ghosts are moving out from the center of town and are heading toward Casper High." Behind the pair of adults was the bottom half of the suit Jack had been working on, the one that had sapped his life force, but the pair were so draw in by what was happening on the screen.

"We have to help them," Jack stated, his voice weak as he held his head, the feeling of being dizzy still making his stomach turn. Maddie shook her head.

"You're still weak from using the suit. You are in no shape to go to the school. I will get Jazz and Danny." Rushing off she left her husband to watch the news with a nod of his head.

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In another building a father watched the screen with mixed feelings as the newscaster informed all parents to come to the school and pick up their children before danger befell them. In that same moment the blond male let out a cry, the camera shaking his image.

"RUN!" he cried before taking off, skeletons making their way onto the screen just moments before the screen went to static, the news off the air with the invasion of paranormal forces. With a cry of his own the father of Valerie rushed out of his home.

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At the school a certain villain appeared, his black horned hair moving in the wind that blew around the football field as Sam appeared, her eyes wide at the appearance of Vlad, Danny's former enemy turned hers.

"Not now of all times." The older ghost looked bewildered to see her in her halfa form, his red eyes looking her over in both interest and irritation...like he knew that she was the good guy in all of this.

"Who are you?" he inquired before shaking his head and saying, "Never mind. You aren't important. I am more concerned with that!" Pointing behind her she found that they were both cornered by the Fright Knight and the group that came charging in behind him. Sam found it was easy to take down the skeletons that were coming at her, though there were many and they didn't seem to pause as their comrades were shot down before them, she found they were weak. Just as she turned to take one down another came up behind her, his sword raised to end her life when a magenta beam came out of nowhere, taking down her would be assailant.

When she noticed who was helping her all she could say was, "You? Why?" At the moment he would have given her an answer, not one she was sure she would believe, but an answer none the less, the man in question was hauled into the air by the front of his shirt. A rather ticked off Fright Knight pulled the other ghost to his face, their noses just inches away.

"Where is the King's prize! Where is it?!"


	23. Chapter 23

"I don't know," Vlad stated, his voice slightly shaky until he then continued to speak to the rather large ghost holding him captive. "But if you would consider becoming my ally-" He was cut off as a pink blast struck the older ghost down and away from the Fright Knight.

"Guess what Amity? The newest ghost hunter is here to take down all you stinky ghosts! I hope you are ready to die again!" Vlad looked proud as he dusted himself off.

"She is really good at this," he stated in an offhanded manner, Sam shooting him a disbelieving. She was suspicious of what the other ghost meant...Did he have something to do with Valerie's new powers? Unfortunately for her this wasn't the best time to figure that out so she just pointed out the obvious to the jerk that stood beside her.

"She believes we are ghosts that are on her kill list!" Valerie swooped down between the two half ghosts, dropping three little silver and pink balls that the pair could only guess were bombs.

"Point taken," Vlad stated as the bombs blew up, a cloud of smoke covering the spot they were standing in. Off in the distance several students were watching the fight below, several skeletons surrounding the smoke that had hidden Sam and Vlad from view.

"I hope you are all right," Danny muttered, his sister throwing him a rather uncertain glance. At that moment several parents arrived, the barrage of SUV's something that Danny was sure would have driven the Goth crazy, but at this point was something he was both glad and uneasy to see. Valerie's father was the first one to approach the group, Danny and Tucker looking behind them uneasily.

"Have you seen Valerie?" he queried.

"She is with Sam!" the pair stated in unison. Maddie rushed up at that point, pulling Danny into her arms without considering how embarrassed he would be with his mother's PDA. Crushing him in her arms she made sure he knew how worried she was while at the same time drawing the attentions of Dash and his jock crew. Pushing her away he tried not to glare at his mother.

"Mom, they need your help down there!" Another door opened to reveal Jeremy and Pamela Manson, the parents of Sam. They looked around the group of students and it was apparent that they were worried about their daughter's whereabouts. "Sam is with Valerie." A look of confusion came over all the parents before them.

"Who is Valerie?"

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The person in question grabbed Sam by the collar of her shit, the white material stretching in her own black gloves.

"What is going on here, ghost?" She was looking at Sam, but the Goth could only imagine what was going on through this teen's mind. Vlad and Sam were the enemies but at the same time she could obviously see that they were being ganged up on by far more adversaries that the teen in the red suit would need to take down. Sam pointed out the charging ghosts, the Fright Knight leading the pack with his sword pointed at them. At this point the Goth wasn't sure if Valerie was a ghost hunter just born or if she had been one for as long as Danny had been a ghost...It was so confusing with all that was going on and what she had done to change Danny's role in saving the town.

If it was indeed her first fight then why was she not destroying Sam, but asking her questions instead.

"That is what is going on," the white haired female stated. It was just as the skeletons attacked that Vlad decided to play the good guy and separating into three he took down all the skeletons that were in the immediate area. It still left quite a few, but as he rejoined and turned to them Sam needed to make sure that Valerie didn't take Vlad down or herself for that matter. It was at that moment that the Fright Knight attacked, taking down Vlad. As the pair hit the ground Sam took a chance. "I know it is hard to believe, but he is not the problem, the guy that is on top of him trying to destroy him, is." She could see that Valerie was thinking it over, but with the visor over her eyes it was hard to tell if she believed the Goth or not.

"I don't trust you, ghost girl, but at this moment I can see that we have bigger problems then you are and that thing with you." Sam glared at her, frustrated that she thought this was about trust, but thankful that she could at least see that the Phantom and Plasmius were not the ones out to destroy the town.

"I don't need your trust, V-" She stopped, knowing who her opponent was would only make the other female more suspicious toward her. "I just need your help to take down these ghosts! Are you in?" Valerie looked down at the other female holding her hand out toward her and with a single moment of hesitation she took the Goth's hand. Knowing that they would be able to fight together, at least for the moment, Sam and Valerie flew over to where the Fright Knight now had Vlad by the throat, the other ghost looking even more white as his oxygen was being cut off.

With a single green blast Sam managed to knock the Knight off of Vlad while Valerie followed up with her gloves glowing pink. Punching the enemy a few times she took him back a few feet and as Vlad gained his senses back he finished off the Fright Knight with one more blast. At the Knight fell to the ground he let out a curse. He wasn't completely down, he was just caught off guard, but he knew that if he didn't do something soon that he would be down, buy Pariah's hand.

"Fools," he spat, standing up. "All I wanted was to seize the ring and return it. You have left me with no choice," he continued, his flaming sword in his hand growing brighter. "By the power invested in me, by my Lord and Liege," the sword flaring with green power as the Fright Knight plunged it into the green field of Casper High's football stadium. "I claim this town, now and forever, under the banner of King Pariah!" As the light from the sword burst through the ground and hit several of the approaching skeletons, they stopped as if frozen. A swirling beam of green headed up the skies, the eyes of all who could see it looking scared, confused, or just plain lost at the sight of the unknown power. The light finally hit a peak and began to crash down like a wave in the shape of a dome, a large dome that Sam could see was covering the whole town as it disappeared behind buildings, the feel of the ground shaking as it hit, locking them in.

The final mark was the face of Pariah, the Ghost King, becoming clear in the power of the Dome...


	24. Chapter 24

Sam was the first to test the power of the dome, her eyes narrowing as she grew closer to what could very well be their new cage. With a cry of shock she hit the green wall and fell, catching herself before she hit the ground. As she rubbed her head Valerie took off, her board surfing against the wind as she picked up speed before heading back toward the Fright Knight. Her attempt was swatted away, like an annoying mosquito. With a cry she landed, her head hitting the ground hard enough to knock her out, causing the suit to disappear right before the whole school. The good thing was that no one saw it, Sam was sure, from the distance the others were at, but being that she was a good person she rushed to the aid of the other teen, Vlad muttering something under his breath before saying with mock concern, "that poor child."

"The sword is sunk, your dye now cast. The sword removed shall signal fast. Make reappear the ring thou hast or the next day shall be your last." Sam was lost on what this ghost was talking about, but seeing as he was looking at Vlad and Vlad always did seem to be stealing something she would place all her money on him being the one with the missing item. Both ghosts stood over Valerie, protecting her from any more harm, but the Goth had an idea that there was more to come.

With a poof of smoke and a dozen black bats the Fright Knight disappeared. Over the town they flew, over the ghost skeletons that were frozen, over the empty streets as Sam looked to Vlad.

"The ring thou hast?" she whispered questionably toward the male next to her. He looked at her, sheepishly grinning with a shrug, but she still believed that he had it or knew of where it was.

"Citizens of Amity!" came a woman's loud voice, a familiar SUV looking vehicle rushing over the asphalt.

"Mrs. Fenton?" Sam questioned.

"Maddie?" Vlad asked as he too watched the woman he loved usher all the people under the dome toward Fenton Works, the ghost shield the hunters had sure to be the reason. Sam and Vlad split, the Goth sure that her best friend's parents might recognize her or worse, shoot her while Vlad knew they wouldn't hesitate to take him down. As she reverted back to her human form behind a nearby tree the Fenton Assault Vehicle stopped just shy of Valerie, Maddie jumping out to check on the fallen teen.

Sam chose that moment to walk up, the pair of adults looking at her in what could only be a mix of confusion and disappointment. Why? She wasn't sure. Maybe it was because she wasn't banged up while the other teen was, but that was no reason to look as if she had done it instead of the ghosts.

"She was attacked," Sam supplied with her chin up. She had no reason to be ashamed, it wasn't like she had harmed the other teen, nor was she responsible for protecting the other girl. Besides, Valerie hadn't wanted her trust or her help, she had just wanted to dispose of the threat, the one that was more imminent than Sam or Vlad.

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"Welcome back to big scary dome watch day one," a perky looking red head said from the TV screen, a pair of teens watching from the floor a few feet away. "My name is Snow Blizzard, and we are on our forth hour of captivity and Amity remains cut off from the rest of the world." The pair of males looked worried, their eyes wide and their faces sullen at the dreary news report. She directed the TV audience to another reporter, Lightning Lance, a blond male who was looking rather upset with being outside.

"Why do I have to do this? I am just a weather man," he grumbled. When he realized that he was being filmed live at that moment he changed his tune, talking about how the people behind him, some with handheld drills the size of bazookas, other sitting with larger drills, were trying to pierce the dome, but having no luck. "This is Lightning Lance, wishing I had taken that job in Oklahoma. Tornadoes would have been better than this." Watching from the lab was Sam and Valerie. They watched as both Vlad and Maddie worked on the exoskeleton, hoping to have it operational to defeat the hoards of ghosts waiting to take down the human race...unless someone forked over this item that the Fright Knight was upset about.

"This is our only hope to punch through the dome," the red headed female said, pulling back her goggles to look at her husband. Vlad wiped his forehead looking a little worn out from his hard work. "But I doubt we can do anything about the neural receptors..." She looked disappointed, the thought that even though the suit would be able to help them, it was too dangerous for anyone to use.

"That is why I will be wearing the suit!" Jack stated. "I shall be the one to beat back that ghost into the Ghost Zone!" he continued, standing up so fast that he became dizzy, his hand coming to his head as he sat back down. The pack of ice on his head shifted forward as he lie back down.

"That is not a good idea," the red head stated, her eyes narrowing at her husband. "You are still wiped out from the last time." As the adults continued their discussion the pair of teens headed upstairs where Danny and Tucker were still watching the news. As Valerie sat down, Sam coming to sit next to her on the other side, Tucker inquired as to the health of the teen before him.

"I am fine," the dark skinned girl stated. "Not sure why you care though, you guys don't like me anyway." She looked to Sam. "Not even you like me, though you helped me out earlier because I helped you." Sam's amethyst eyes flashed.

"I helped you because you did help me, but you can't blame us for being wary of you. You hated us and were down right ugly to us for no reason other than we are not popular." Danny's mouth fell open, but at that moment he noticed a particular ring on the other teen's hand, one that looked as if it were glowing.

"Where did you get that ring?" he asked, the teen before him becoming even more cold as she covered it up with her other hand.

"None of your business, Fenton," she snapped.

"Um, can I talk to you?" Danny asked Sam, yanking the Goth by her wrist before proceeding to do the same to Tucker. The trio entered a nearby closet, the door slamming with a resounding thud. They were in the dark for about a second before Sam found the light switch.

"Sam, what was that about?" Tucker inquired. Danny wanted to know the same thing. The Goth had just gone off on the other teen without even taking a moment, then again the other teen had bit off Tucker's head when he had expressed concern at her injuries.

"More important," the former halfa stated, interrupting anything else Tucker wanted to say. "Did you see that ring?"

"Ring?" Sam inquired, her brow raising. "Concerned she might be taken, Danny?" The dark haired male looked at his friend, then at Tucker, whose eyes were now boring into him.

"No, I was looking at the glowing green skull on it!" he hissed. "You said something about an item, a ring, that they Fright Knight was looking for."

"It might just be something her father got for her," Tucker stated, but Sam looked less than convinced. Valerie's father had been rich and even with him making minimum to what he had been making she wasn't sure he would buy, much less that she would wear, something cheap. Pushing Tucker aside she peeked her head out of the closet, her amethyst eyes narrowing on the ring in question, the one that Valerie had revealed now that no one was asking questions.

"I have to side with Danny," the raven haired beauty stated ducking back in, the door clicking behind her. "That doesn't look like some cheap plastic toy, and she would never wear such a thing to begin with unless-"

"She was holding it for someone," Danny finished. "She has to be holding it for Vlad. There is no other explanation."

"Now we just need to figure out why the Fright Knight needs that ring," Sam stated. That meant that the trio needed to go and talk to some ghosts...ghosts that were not going to be easily swayed into helping the group, unless they were something they would get out of it. Then again they had seemed rather upset about this Pariah, the King of Ghosts. Maybe that was incentive enough. Transforming into the Phantom, Sam grabbed the pair of teens and disappeared out of the closet leaving a clueless Valerie in the room wondering what the trio was doing so long in the closet.


	25. Chapter 25

They arrived at a store, a hunting store by the looks of it. Sam stepped out of the Speeder and looked around, noticing that although she had been sure Skulker would have been here judging by the lack of humans and the fact that the ghost was know as "Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter", he wasn't.

"Guess I was wrong," she muttered turning to her friends. Danny wasn't so sure. He felt like Sam did, that the lack of humans and what Skulker was known for were both things that should have made this the spot Skulker would have been at. It was at that moment that he noticed what appeared to be the ghost they were looking for, though this ghost had his back to them.

"Maybe not," the former halfa said pointing out their prey. It was weird though, to all of them, that he was just standing there. Sam was unsure of whether to make a move or not, Danny was fuming about what the ghosts had done to the Goth earlier and Tucker, well, he was thinking about something that had nothing to do with anyone in that room. Sam ended up making the first move...of attack. She pulled out the thermos, intent on taking the ghost down and getting her answers about Pariah, the ghost she had yet to meet.

Unfortunate for her her was the fact that the ghost she was attempting to catch wasn't the ghost she wanted...in fact he wasn't a ghost at all. When the suction just bent the ghost in half the group knew they had been played.

"Gotcha!" came a familiar gravelly voice as a hand came out to grasp the halfa Goth by the throat. Danny and Tucker rushed to her aid, hoping that they would be strong enough to take down the ghost, but knowing without his powers it was a long shot. They were right as Skulker thrust them off him, but Sam was strong enough to use her powers. Becoming intangible she moved away from him, blasting him with an energy ball that managed to knock him into a rack of baseball bats.

"Enough of this, the both of you." They turned to find Sidney, and most of the Ghost Zone looking at them with matching expressions. "She might be able to help us, after all she is the halfa." Sam blinked at the sudden name, her eyes flying over to Danny. Poindexter had been the ghost to call him that first, claiming that the whole Zone had given him that title and now Sam was that. The human who had ghost powers and as much as Danny had hated spending his social time chasing the ghosts in the room he had felt special. Those times that the Goth had told him to be grateful for his powers, the chance to change the word. To make a difference. He hadn't ever missed it, until he watched it from outside that role.

"What is going on? Why do you all seem so scared?" Skulker was the first to talk as the others walked over to what could have been a campsite from the woods, though the fake fire and the fact that they were inside made it a little less realistic.

"It happened a long time ago, before you, before me, well, before most of us. His name was Pariah Dark, and he ruled the Ghost Zone." If you could see what the metallic ghost was speaking of you could imagine the Fright Knight galloping on his horse with a green flaming crown in hand, the wings of his black steed moving as he took flight for the red castle in the distance. Before him, in that large red castle, sat a large, angry looking male. "He was a ghost of such power, of such magnitude and with this power was the only one able to weld the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage. When wearing both, he could do anything." In his mind stood the great king, wearing both his Crown and Ring with a smirk as he held up both his hands in triumph. "He was king until a band of ghosts banded together in one last ditch attempt to overtake the king and to stop his reign." A group of hooded figures headed for the castle, their red eyes slits in the darkness of the hoods. The green skulls on their cloaks pinned tight to keep their identity withheld as they took down the king.

With a cry of dismay he was shot before falling to the ground unconscious where the leader of the group took off his ring and crown. "By locking him in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep they were able to stop him forever...or at least we thought." The foreboding tomb that held the once powerful king glowed with an unholy light as the group of ghosts separated his castle from the other buildings that shared a home on a rock in the Ghost Zone with a single blast.

"He's only been free for one day and already our homes are gone," Ember complained.

"And he doesn't even have the ring yet," Danny stated.

"We're going to need your help to keep him from getting it," Sam stated. Tucker shook his head. He knew the answer, but Danny remained hopeful as he looked at the ghosts, though he too knew the odds that these creatures would help them was little to none. The ghosts let out a laugh, their voices in unison louder than they would have been had it only been a few.

"And that was a no," Tucker stated, drawing a glare from the Goth next to him.

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An few hours later found Sam sneaking out of the Fenton house, the skies above them dark. The street lamps illuminated the streets around Fenton Works, especially the Specter Speeder that was parked next to the house. But the Goth was more interested in the person standing out by the Speeder, her amethyst eyes glaring at the man responsible for all that was going on around them.

"What did you want to see me for, Miss Manson?" He was of course genuinely surprised, as Sam was sure he would be, but she didn't care. She knew what he had done and she needed him to know what she knew.

"I know who you are and I know what you have done," she said simply. At first it seemed that Vlad could care less, but with her next words he became as pale as his ghost half. "And Danny's mother would be rather disgusted to find that besides you being a perverted man after her that you are also part ghost." His eyes growing wide, and flickering over to lock with her amethyst orbs he opened his mouth to ask, only to be cut off. "Not going to tell you my secrets, Plasmius, but I will tell you one thing. Give me the ring."

"Why would I give you the ring?"

"Because you not giving me the ring would put Valerie in danger and although she is your pawn she is still a person and doesn't deserve to be used in that way!" Vlad looked interested in what she had to say, but not because of the truth behind it, but because from what he had observed the former popular teen had not been all that kind to the Goth, Daniel, or their little friend, Tucker.

"Why would you be so keen on helping the teen who belittled you with the other jocks and cheerleaders?"

"None of your concern," the Goth spat before moving closer to the male before her. "You should be concerned with the fact that not only do I know who you are, but so does Daniel and Tucker. Should I fail in getting you to hand over that ring then maybe a little tongue slip would have them come down here and as Mrs. Fenton likes to say "rip you apart molecule by molecule"." Vlad was looking a little more pale, but he still refused to do what she asked so Sam took a shot at him, knocking the rather unprepared man out of the dome before following him. What she failed to notice was that Danny was following her.


	26. Chapter 26

The former halfa had wondered why his friend had gotten up, at first thinking she had needed a late night snack, but noticing that she had moved rather quick and stealth like. That was when Sam was up to something. They had known each other since second grade, maybe even before that, and when the Goth wanted to keep something from someone she went into stealth mode. Stopping just before the door that led outside he stuck his ear to it, listening to what the raven haired beauty was doing, not sure what she was doing, but sure it was dangerous. Now that he was human he found himself studying the Goth turned halfa. Had he been as reckless as she was? Yeah, he was sure he had been.

"Why would I give you the ring?" Moving toward the window where he could see better and maybe hear a little more clearly the former halfa found himself looking at Sam, talking to the Speeder. She looked pissed off, but confident at the same time. Who was she talking to? Listening in he waited to see what would be revealed to find that she was talking to Vlad.

"What the hell?" Moving closer he watched as the teen female pointed to the window above him. She was talking about the ring being on Valerie's finger and the danger she was in by holding onto something that someone very powerful wanted, but Danny couldn't see how Vlad was feeling about this, though he was sure that the male in question could care les- "Damn," he muttered in shock as he watched Sam kick the other half ghost out of the dome, her boots clomping on the ground as she stalked after him. He had only seen Sam mad on a few occasions, not something he wanted to be apart of if it came to her being mad at him. Seeing it from another view, toward someone who deserved it was a different story. Waiting a few moments, sure that the Goth was out of hearing range he crept out of the house, noticing right away that the direction they were going was toward the school.

He rushed after them, noticing as he got closer to the school that the air was now filled with ecto blasts, the sound echoing around him.

"I don't want to have to do what they want to do to you, but I will get that ring back, Plasmius!" He heard laughter and found Sam standing over Vlad, her hair moving slightly with the wind as the male in question chuckled while standing up.

"I think not, whoever you are. And where did Manson go?"

"She is none of your concern, Plasmius, you should be more concerned with where you are going." Pulling out a thermos she proceeded to yank off the lid, ready to suck the man before her into the space that would keep him out of her hair.

"Now now," he said looking rather confident for a man that was at the firing end of a ghost trap. "We need not be hasty." Reaching out his hand touched the hilt of the sword, but he didn't pull it. In fact he looked rather upset to have even touched it, pulling away from it as if it had burned him. He walked toward Sam, hands up in defense. "You should just let the girl keep the ring. After all, as long as the dome is up Pariah won't come after her. You did notice that the skeletons have stopped...for now anyway." Sam didn't look convinced. "And besides, your little friend, Daniel, well, his father loves me and would wonder what had happened to his college chum." The Goth could see that those words made him sick, but she had to agree with him on that one. Mr. Fenton still thought the man before her was good and just making him disappear, even having a valid reason and his alter ego would do her no good. She would never be able to prove that it was him without releasing him.

"Damn it," she muttered putting the lid back on the device. "You still need to tell Valerie to give up the ring, but to me, not to you." Before Vlad could answer Sam's eyes flickered over to movement behind him. Thinking that someone was helping him she shot him, knocking the man to his knees before seeing that it was Danny.

"No!" Sam looked at Vlad, who looked afraid as Danny grabbed the hilt that he himself had touched not moments before. Danny yanked at the sword, pulling it free rather easily as Vlad cried out. "No, don't do that Daniel! That is the signal!" Sam looked at him, baffled as Danny stood there holding the sword like he was ready to fight, though he too looked rather confused as to what the other half ghost was talking about.

"Signal?" the white haired female inquired. "Signal for what?" Around them the ground shook as the dome above them cracked and crumbled. Sam moved quickly to grab her friend, the sword still held tightly in his hand as they went intangible. Seconds later some of the green dome fell on them and Vlad, the other ghost taking the same way they did as humans rushed out of their homes, most of them coming out from Fenton Works. The dome continued to crumble until all that was above them was the Ghost Zone, the once separate place now part of their world as Sam, Danny and Vlad stood in silence.

"Whoa!" the raven haired teen cried as the sword began to pull away from him before finally taking to the skies where the Fright Knight waited for it. Next to him floated Pariah, the man that either of them had yet to have the pleasure of meeting.

"Of surrender!" he bellowed before blasting the pair with a red beam, Sam managing to throw Danny to the side before it hit.

"Ah!" she and Vlad screamed before the pair hit the ground, unconscious. In this state they were forced out of their ghost forms as the ghost king towered over them.

"Attention Amity Park!" came a loud voice, Danny looking behind him to see his parents on the big screen, his mother waving to everyone that could see. "We are now in a serious state of emergency as the ghosts have taken us to their world, known only to us as the Ghost Zone." As Danny listened to them he turned around him noticing for the first time that they weren't only in the Zone, but they were also only on a rock, the town itself and nothing else. He failed to see that Pariah had taken hold of both Sam and Vlad until they were already in his hand, lax against his gloved hand. "We advise that all who want to live run for Fenton Works!" In the background of the Fentons Mr. Gray, Valerie's father worked at the computer.

He was launching a probe into the Zone as well as maxing the shield to cover the whole city, the skeletons that had now come to life crushed against it as it moved out.

"Our daughter Jazz will be serving tea and cookies!" Maddie continued before pulling said redhead onto the screen for everyone to see. "And boys! She is single!" The teen turned red, pushing her mother away before muttering something under her breath.

"And above all! This is not my fault!" As Jack continued on he was cut off, the screen crackling and dying as the ghost king shot it, his green eyes landing on the two humans in his hand, shock lacing his voice.

"They are both human and ghosts!" He powered up a blast, his targets the two in his hand. "Is there no end to today's surprises?!" It was at that moment another voice called out!

"Surprise!"


	27. Chapter 27

Ecto goo, pink and sticky, hit the large ghost in the face, blinding him and forcing him to drop the pair of ghosts. It took him only a minute to recuperate, wiping the slime from his face and taking a shot at her with his one good eye. Valerie managed to dodge it, but she wasn't so lucky in dodging the goal post. Hitting it with a resounding thunk she hit the ground. She wasn't down for long either, immediately trying to take out the ghost male before her with a rocket that came out of the glove on her hand. When it instead began to spark she threw it off, the top of her hand red from the burn.

"The ring!" Pariah cried out, his one eye noticing the familiar green skull on her ring finger.

"Give that to the king NOW!" Fright Knight commanded. The dark skinned girl in the red suit took it off, but instead of throwing it to him like he had told her she pulled out a large rocket launcher, attached the ring too it and with a witty reply shot it off to the surprise of the knightly ghost.

Pariah took the bait, heading off after his ring while Valerie took off toward her downed board. As she took it up and took off the Fright Knight began to shoot at her, furious that she had infuriated his king as well as tricked his king. The red suited teen headed back for the pair of downed half ghosts, seemingly unaware of what had happened to the ghosts that had been aiding her. Picking the pair up she headed back for the safety of the dome, passing the Fright Knight who tried to slice her and her companions in two. Failing at his attempt he took off after them astride his black steed. Dodging his every attempt Valerie continued on toward the dome, but at the last moment was struck, her engine taking the damage and flaring up.

She was lucky as they crashed inside the dome, safe from the ghosts that still continued to beat at the green shield to no avail. Fright Knight joined them, pissed that he had been bested, curses muttered under his breath.

"I will get you and when I do you will be dead! This is not the end!"

"But it is," came a fearful voice, the Fright Knight turning to find Pariah with a frightening smirk as he opened his palm to reveal the Ring of Rage. Slipping on his finger the air crackled, green lightning coming from the ring. As soon as the lightning cleared the knightly ghost looked upon a more powerful king, his energy bringing the knight to his knees knowing that this man could choose to end his existence should he not bow to his every command. "Come, we have plans to make as soon this human realm will be mine." In his wake he left rings of red burning fire that the Fright Knight ran thru to follow him.

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Inside Fenton Works several people sat, worried about their fate and about their town they looked weary. Some were outside in the streets watching the chaos upfront. Meanwhile, in the skies above them a figure flew by, taking a pair of males with her into Danny's room. Angling her way into the empty room she dropped Sam on Danny's bed while depositing Vlad on a nearby chair. As soon as she had them down she crashed, her form becoming her civilian half as she fell to the ground.

Vlad was the first to awaken, his eyes immediately falling on Valerie's empty finger, the ring gone.

"The ring!" He cursed under his breath, aware that while he had been unconscious the thing that he had risked his life for was gone and he wasn't sure how he would get it back.

Danny rushed into his room, his eyes surveying the pair that lay unconscious in different places, while Vlad had become invisible so as not to be caught by who he thought to be Danny's parents. Behind him came Tucker, the techno geek looking at the teen he had found himself wondering about. The former halfa rushed to Sam's side as she woke up, her amethyst eyes narrowing slightly as the pain in her head began.

"Danny? What were you doing there?" Tucker looked at him in confusion and then back at Sam. "You could have been killed!" The increase in volume caused her head to ache more. Looking around her she realized that she was in Danny's room...in his bed. "How?" The male before her pointed to a downed Valerie.

"She rescued you after Pariah knocked you both out, but what I don't understand is where Vlad went..." he faded off looking around. "I saw her grab both of you." Sam was still staring at the other female, regret flooding through her. She had been the one to choose her fate, becoming the Phantom for Danny, but she wasn't as strong at the male. Sure, she had gotten most of it down and in fact had become stronger than she had hoped to in such a short amount of time. Still...she hadn't been able to protect her friends or herself. She had been rescued by a teen who hated ghosts and hated her. "Sam?" She blinked, her gaze shifting to her friends.

"I am responsible for this," she stated before transforming. "I failed this time, but I will not fail the next time." Without even waiting for an answer she turned intangible, grabbed both males before her before going through the floor.

What they found was the town in the basement, Maddie and Jack revealing the ecto-skeleton suit.

"While our ecto suit can make one more powerful," the red head said turning to the crowd. "It could prove fatal." Jack stepped forward.

"That is why I shall be using it." He still looked slightly unsteady on his feet. "If anyone should die fighting ghosts it should be me." His wife knocked him out, looking upset that he would even volunteer after his last use of the suit.

"You are still too weak from the last time you used the suit. I shall go!" It was then that another person hit her from behind, Jazz being the culprit.

"Forget it, mom. Danny needs both of you so I shall do it." It went on for a moment like this...Jeremy Manson knocking Jazz out and Pamela knocking him out followed by Tucker's parents until no one was standing.

"Well, that worked out better than I thought," the Goth stated with a slight shrug.

"What do you think you are doing?" came a voice from below. Looking down Sam found herself looking at the red suited Valerie, the tone of voice coming from said female one of disbelief and anger. "How did you get in here?!"

"It doesn't matter," Sam stated moving back and down slightly so that she, Danny, and Tucker were all standing before the ghost fighting teen. "What matters is that you aren't doing what you think you are doing." Danny and Tucker looked at each other, confused as to what Sam was doing. "And here is why. MR. GREY!" The red suited teen looked skeptical, sure that her father didn't know who she was so why should it matter if this ghost before her called his name...though...

"How do you know m-" Swoosh! Sam yanked the mask off the other teen just as her father walked thru the door.

"Valerie?!" he exclaimed causing the teen in question to scream out in horror as her father grabbed her. "What do you think you are doing?!" The Goth took that moment to get in the suit as her two friends watched in dismay. She couldn't see their faces, but even without them being apparent she knew that they both thought she was weak so she wouldn't be surprised if they were just a little upset. Taking off toward the roof she didn't see the father/daughter exchange as Mr. Grey made sure his daughter was okay before promptly grounding her. She also didn't notice that her friends had snuck off.

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On the roof she looked around the suit, the buttons flashing as it started up. She wasn't sure how it worked and hoped that it wasn't fatal like the Fentons had said it would be seeing as she was already part dead. Setting up the suit she hissed as a metallic spine fitted itself to her, the thought that it could still kill her making her heart beat faster and harder. It was scary, but she had to protect her loved ones. Speaking of loved ones.

"I can see you," she called out as the door to the roof moved, two males watching from the shadows. The two teens walked over to her, both looking more worried than she had ever seen them. Danny's mind was on the fact that his friend was going to risk her life for them, that it should have been him in that suit taking that chance. He could only imagine all that was going through her head at that moment. Tucker looked down at his feet.

"Danny's mom said the word fatal, Sam," he said softly. "I know you know what that means." She nodded, forcing a soft smile to her green lips, hoping that they would believe that she was as brave as she was faking to be. In fact she was hoping that her acting was so good that she would believe it.

"We all knew it wasn't always going to be as easy as kicking Plasmius' butt all over the place or shoving the Box Ghost into a thermos. It was bound to get to this point whether now or in the future."

"Sam," Danny said, but before he could say any more the ground shook as a blast sounded off from behind them, the clouds turned a blood red before Pariah's face appeared.

"That's my cue," she muttered. "Tucker?" He looked to her. "I need you to drop the shield so I can leave." Nodding he rushed off leaving Danny and Sam alone...well, save for the giant head in the skies. Throwing her friend a reassuring smile she watched as he failed to smile back. In fact he looked crushed. "Danny..." she whispered, but her friend rushed off. It hurt that he didn't seem to support her idea, but she couldn't blame him either. If this had been him she would have been pissed that he was throwing his life away, even if it was for the good of the town.

Transforming again she found herself transforming the suit, the white and green matching the style of her outfit. Looking out at Danny and Tucker she found him smiling at her. With a wave she took off, the group of students watching in awe as she took off.

"Good luck, ghost girl!" came a cry from Dash as he watched the female he adored take off into the Zone, the ghost shield closing behind her. As soon as she was a good distance away Sam looked back, her final goodbyes in her head, but not spoken as she again hoped that she would survive this.

"Oh crap," she muttered when she turned back to find a red castle with over a million skeletons ready for battle.


	28. Chapter 28

"Maybe I can take them down one at a time, or something," she muttered pointing at the group out in front, a small blue white ball forming at the tip of her pointer finger. Letting the blast go she watched in shock as it shot out, the size of a half dollar, and fell at the feet of a skeleton. All the skeletons in front looked at it, not sure of whether it was dangerous or not before it went off. It not only managed to blow a whole bunch of them away...it also blew a large hole in the ground.

Several heads turned her way, all of them looking rather ticked off.

"Wow! That was incredible!" she whooped before making another blast, the orbs of blue white light swirling around her hand like an atom. With a blast that was several times more powerful and sizable that wiped three times as many of the skeletons out only to make her a little light headed. "Damn, gotta be more careful in using so much of my power." She wasn't like Danny. She still didn't have as much experience and power that the former halfa had had. She wondered at that. How Danny had felt in the suit that she was now in, knowing it could kill him, but being as he was more powerful she knew that he would never have allowed the suit to cause him such trouble. Her friend might be clueless at times, but he was smart at times that others were left scratching their heads. Using less of her powers she began shoot off blast after blast, devastating several more of the enemy, though not enough to stop them from attacking. Arrows were shot off, the flaming tips bouncing off a shield that she managed to throw into place.

"This is pretty advanced," she stated. "It enhances my powers making me a little more powerful then I would be had I not had the suit." Shooting off more and more blasts that took down more of her enemies she found that her head was hurting again and her body was feeling the drain from the suit. Sweat ran down her head, soaking her hair and suit as she took deep breaths. There were times that she had, when it had been Danny with the powers, wondered what it would be like in his place, but knowing all the sacrifices that came with that responsibility she found her heart clenching. Why had she let him step into the portal that day? She had made her friend into something that she had no right to and while he thrived in the role as his power increased it still sucked that it had affected him negatively in other areas of his life. She was lucky that her parents weren't his and that she didn't have to worry about the emotional anguish that came with knowing your own parents wanted to dissect you. Without warning she found herself buried under several skeletons, the drain on her powers making her an easy target. She could feel them weighing her down, her knees collapsing under her as she felt fear creep over her, invading her heart.

"No," she whispered, fear being replaced by anger at that she had already failed once and she wasn't going to fail again. Around her warmth built up as her power encircled her, the skeletons on her turning white as she exploded out of the dog pile. Flying up high she looked down at the skeletons, but her power was drained even further from the fight to get out from under them and the suit began to sink down, her enemies looking gleeful as most of them began to pull on the boots of the large ecto suit. Being drug down she failed to notice that there were more joining in the fight until a blast shot by her face hitting the skeletons clinging to her.

Looking up she found herself both happy and upset to see Danny and Tucker in the Specter Speeder.

"Danny! Tucker!"

"Thought you could use some help," Tucker stated.

"You two need to get out of here!" she cried out, the anger overwhelming her with the fact that not only had they come out here against her wishes, but that they had put themselves in danger!

"A good friend never listens when a warning is issued," the former halfa said with a smirk. "Besides we are just making a delivery." With that said the hatch at the bottom the Speeder opened up to release several ghosts before zooming off. Sam looked at the group in confusion.

"I thought you didn't want to help! In fact I remember you laughing at the idea of assisting me...and how did you all fit in that little thing anyway?" Ember smirked, making a zing about how the thermos was smaller than the inside of the Specter Speeder. Skulker thrust several ghost away, his glare letting them know he wasn't here to socialize.

"No more talking! Time for fighting!" He began blasting skeletons, Klemper freezing another batch with the Box Ghost.

"My new job of employment has bestowed upon me a new weapon!" the second most annoying ghost cried as he held up his new item. "The bubble wrap of doom!" On the other side of the battlefield was Sidney with Dora, the ghost dragon flying high above and frying the green skeletons as Sidney rode her neck. Ember blew most of them away with a stroke of her chords. When one of the guards she had been aiming for flew up to avoid the blast Skulker stepped in, destroying the only other enemy in Sam's way.

"Defeat him so that you may become worthy of being added to my collection!" Sam wanted to roll her eyes, but seeing as he had just helped her, she just ignored his quip and rushed into the castle, ready to take down the one that was not only a foe to humans, but to ghosts alike.


	29. Chapter 29

Flying through the halls of the large castle Sam had a moment of unease, wondering if she herself was ready for such a battle. All the other small battles had been relatively hard, but only because she was new to the whole ghost thing. Danny had been new to the ghost side too, but he had braved on.

"Though I pushed him at times," she muttered to herself. She had pushed her friend when he hadn't seemed to want to be a hero, when he had really wanted to be a normal boy...not that he would have ever been normal with parents like his. Then again, she had a really good life if the truth was told. Sure, it would have been better had their lives been switched. Danny would have had a great life with her parents and being with a pair of ghost fights wouldn't have been bad for the teen who was strange herself. "Does Danny even know how lucky he is?" Then again he had to be a hero too and that had to be difficult for him with the fact that his parents were ghost hunters. He had no time to train, not really, and yet he had managed to get himself to where he had been. Powerful. But had it come at a cost? She was sure it had, not that she had known at the time. How could she have when she never knew what he went through?

She still didn't know all that he had gone through. Her parents were overprotective, to a fault. They would never have understood who she was and hadn't even before the ghost powers. They also would have never left her alone long enough to gain true power. Then again, there were a few things that were similar between the parents. Sam's parents would have pulled an ET. They would have called the government just to check her out, to do an autopsy on her while Danny's parents would have simply done it themselves...she was sure though it wouldn't happen if they knew who he was. No, Sam's would have done it and blamed the Fentons for it! Giving herself a mental shake, she blasted open the doors before her. Before her was Pariah, looking less than scared of her. In fact he looked ready to kill her.

"A little new to the game, aren't we little one?"

"Let's skip the small talk and get right to the butt whooping!?" Sam cried before starting her attack. Pariah was ready, slamming into her gut with his large mace, the weapon knocking the breath from her lungs. Falling back she regained her composure, getting back into the fight with amazing speed as she rushed at him, her hands glowing with large white blue balls. "I am not going down that easy!"

"Oh, but you will child!" the large king replied as he too powered up, ready to take her down. Sam could only image how much better her friend could have done this. All the experience he had fighting ghosts and all the time he had over her. The thought that she wasn't good enough caused her to falter, her steps pausing as she wondered how well she was doing in the role that she had taken from a real hero. It was the moment that her enemy needed, taking a shot her at her. She was blasted back into a wall, her head hitting the globe that covered the top part of the suit. She could feel her brain bouncing against her skull, but it was the warm feel of liquid running down her neck that caused her worry and made her think that she was going to die fighting someone who would take down her family! Who would enslave her friends! Kill several of the town for not doing what he wanted.

It was those thoughts that fired her up, but what made her really strong was the thought that Danny believed in her. He wouldn't have truly let her go into a fight if he didn't think she had some power. That she had some strength to protect not only the town, but him and his family. The former halfa would never doubt her! Sure, he had chosen popularity over her and Tucker, ditched them a few times, but the former halfa had always come back, sure that his friends were more important and that he would fight for them even if he hadn't wanted to be the Phantom. He had wanted to hang out with them and even if he hadn't realized himself, she did...they had always hung out, even if it meant fighting terrifying monsters and ghouls that most people wouldn't have even had the guts to stand up against.

And even though Danny had been shunned and attacked by the very people he had defended he had still kept going. Trading his somewhat normal life to be the hero that his town had needed and now she would do that same thing. She would battle the ghosts that threatened the life of those around her, the people that loved her, the people that shunned her and the people who didn't want to admit that their town was almost always in danger. She would do what her best friend had done. She would be a hero and although she wasn't sure half the time about herself, she knew that she had to do her best and that she had to take the responsibility that she had taken with both hands and run with it.

Pariah knocked her back before taking another shot with his mace, but Sam dodged, her body moving with speed and agility as she turned to look at him, a smirk on her face, her confidence boosted by her thoughts of Danny and his own strength. She had that!

"Ooh!" she yelped as she was struck from behind, the mace having come back to take her down!

"Having that much power is a burden! Especially when you don't know what to do with it!" Pariah gloated as he attacked without pause. Most of the blasts missed, but a few managed to hit her, ricocheting of the suit and knocking her back a few steps but with a cry of frustration and power the small Goth shot a large beam out of her hands, the blue white shot hitting Pariah. It caught the King off guard and knocked him back into a familiar place of residence for the ghostly male. With a grunt of concentration Sam found a way to duplicate herself, though only into a pair and nothing more.

"Wow, that is hard," the Goth muttered, but taking the shot she was given she rushed at the king, only to find him coming for her, his anger high at being knocked around by what he considered a mere child. He struck her again, forcing her to fly back and hit a wall. It left her clone alone. The clone rushed at him, determined to do something while the original pulled herself up and out of the rubble left from her failed attack. Closing her eyes she willed the pain in her head to go away before reopening her eyes and rushing at the king again, this time her clone helped her by moving behind the large ghost as Sam sped up. As she hit the large male he toppled back, tripping over the clone and falling back into the sarcophagus. But not before she knocked his crown off, the glowing green item clanking as it hit the ground.

Her clone jumped up and hurried to close the door only to have it thrust out at her, the clone disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Damn!" the Goth muttered as she rushed over to try and defeat the king before her. He wasn't easy to shut in the large box, even without his crown, but she managed to finally slam the door...the only problem was that it had a lock and she didn't have a key. "I can't stay here forever," she moaned as another notch on the suit went down, her vision becoming fuzzy as sweat poured down her back. It was at that moment the man inside the sarcophagus made another attempt at getting out. "I can't do this!" And in response to her fear a black gloved hand pushed a green key into the lock, turned it, and locked the angry king in his prison.

"But you did, kid," came a female voice. Sam turned around to find that Vlad stood over her and the whole Ghost Zone stood behind him. All of them looked relieved and although she knew that she had done it, she also knew that she wouldn't have been able to do it without help and that was a disappointment. She was sure that even though she and Tucker had helped Danny on several of his ghost catching escapades that he could have taken down all of his enemies without their aide. That he was a ghost that knew how to use his powers while she was barely able to use her powers. With that last thought she found the edges of her vision going black and then there was nothing.


	30. Chapter 30

When Sam awoke next she found that she was surrounded by her family, Danny's parents as well as Tucker, Danny and Valerie. Lurking in the shadows was Vlad, his blue eyes burning with what could only be bad for the halfa.

"Had us all worried, little one," he said with a knowing smirk. Yeah...definitely bad. Trying to sit up only proved to be painful, Danny leaning over to push her down gently.

"You need to rest," he said softly with a worried smile. She could see that he was proud too, worried, but proud. She needed him to know that Vlad knew something, but looking around once more she figured now wasn't the time anyway. On the left side of her vision she could see that Jack was talking, but she was tired and closing her eyes found the land of Nod while Danny turned to listen to his father and Vlad.

"Sorry that you lost the ecto suit, Jack," the now white haired male stated, looking less then sorry for the loss of the newest invention of the ghost hunters. Jack just chuckled.

"It's okay V-man, those pants made me look fat anyways." The former halfa wanted to smack himself. His father could be such an idiot.

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A few days later found the Fenton family plus Sam and Tucker, sitting in front of the television listening to the report about the now ghost free Amity Park, well, mostly ghost free. On the screen the woman before them continued talking, although the screen was changing to show pictures and film of the people in Amity Park taking care of the town.

"Clean up continues and although there are things that we will never get the answers to, or will be able to find there is one thing that is for certain." It came back to her, a small picture behind her showing Sam as the Phantom. "We don't know who she is, but one fan has deemed her to be Ghost Girl." Sam smirked ironically with a shake of her head. She knew had named her that and with a sigh she realized that it was okay that she didn't have a real name like Danny had because Inviso-bill was very stupid and had ticked off her friend.

"Lucky," said the former halfa. "She could have been called Inviso-girl or something else equally stupid."

"It's because the person who named m-her isn't a stupid cheerleader, though a jock isn't all that bright with all those brain cells they lose on the field." Tucker chuckled at the pair squabbling, a knowing smirk on his face as the pair continued on with their little spat.

"Seems that she is a joy, having a good portion of the city singing her praises."

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Meanwhile in another house a very pissed off Valerie shot at the screen, her ecto gun smoking as she glared at the screen.

"Well, I sure as hell am not one of those idiots. I will get you ghost girl," she muttered.

"Valerie!? Was that an ecto gun?" Quick to throw the gun behind her back while looking at the direction of her father's voice she assured him that it was the television.

"I will get you."

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The trio sat around Danny's computer days later checking off who was out and about and who was captured in the Ghost Zone, most of which were gone save for the Box Ghost, who was an annoyance that the trio could care less about capturing and more about avoiding if possible.

"This means we can have that ghost free weekend, right?" Tucker queered. Sam nodded as Danny celebrated by hitting enter to officially start their weekend only to have his computer state, Hard drive full...

"Hmmmm, hard drive full? Let me just get rid of some..." he faded off as a rather provocative photo of Paulina found it's way on screen. Sam glared at the offending image while Tucker drooled over it.

"I will be downloading that," the dark skinned male stated as he did just that. Danny became nervous as he chuckled.

"D-Don't know where that could have came from," he managed to stutter before turning everyone's attention to a game on his screen. "Hey, let's delete this," he stated. "I don't ever play that g-" before he could say another word a familiar ghost appeared on the screen before them, though they were sure he had no idea of who he was.

"Hello children!" the white haired ghost crowed as smirked at them. "I shall rule the world!" He attempted to shoot out of the computer only to find himself trapped behind the screen. He let out a nervous chuckle before stating, "I can do that from behind this screen!" The computer began to glow an eerie green, levitating up with the mouse, the keyboard, and the camera that had once sat atop the monitor. "But first!" He reloaded the image of Paulina, quickly grabbing the paintbrush from the Paint program before going at the image before the trio. Sam found what he did to be an improvement, though she didn't say a word as the ghost cackled his glee.

"Hey! Do you know how many collectibles I had to trade for that?!" the former halfa cried. He looked to Sam to back him up, and although she hated the Ice Queen she still transformed into her Phantom form if only to take down the ghost on the screen before her. It was in that moment that she was transforming that the ghostly male before her took her down, knocking her back as he eyed her with what was avid curiosity. She knew it. He had never seen her or Danny before so he wasn't aware that there was a halfa...though his next words changed her mind quickly.

"I had heard of a ghostly half child," he muttered as the tower that had struck her moments before produced wires that went after the two males in the room. Danny managed to jump out of the way, but Tucker hadn't been prepared and was captured. It only took another attempt to trap Danny, the former halfa fast, but without his ghost powers not much of a challenge. Sam could see that being a halfa had made Danny faster, but with his powers he had become less reliant on his natural human strengths.

Sam looked around, her eyes falling on one of Jack's inventions, the large dream catching looking thing the closest weapon.

"It will have to do!" she muttered as she went after the ghost possessed computer. Danny was the first one to realize what she was using, his memory of that particular item clear. Tucker also remembered the Catcher, having been one of its victims. With a sweep of her hands the Catcher went thru the computer, sweeping Technus out with such ease that the Goth found herself a little shocked, but what happened next no one seemed to have seen coming. Techus, still controlling the camera enough to make it into a laser that was aimed at the pair tied up in wires.

"But will you be able to beat me if you had to chose between me or them?" Sam flinched, her heartbeat pausing. She could see them in the back of her eyes, in the darkness. Tucker and Danny, her two friends...her true friends. No one had ever given her a shot, not that she was a people person then. Danny, sensing her hesitation moved quickly, the cord burning off as the beam hit the wires around them. Sam saw her chance and went after Technus. She knew, though, knew that one day she would be forced to make that choice regarding saving her loved ones or taking out the bad guy. She wouldn't have Danny there. He couldn't make those decisions... Did Danny make these choices? Was the fear that you would be alone, that you would fatally make the wrong choice? That you would hurt those that loved you most?

"Sam!" came the sound of her friend's voice, the voice that had been there and Sam blinked realizing she had to take down a ghost. Maybe if she concentrated more on that then she would never make that mistake. With a shot she hit the other ghost, but instead of just failing to his feet the lab coated ghoul just disappeared...


	31. Chapter 31

The next day found Sam and Danny waited outside his house, the pair looking less than thrilled as the person wasting time drove up on his scooter.

"Sorry I am late, but my PDA is acting wonky," the dark skinned male stated pulling out the offending device. Sam shook her head as Danny went to investigate.

"Wonky?" Sam queered.

"Maybe you should just trade it in for a new one," he stated only to get shocked by said device. "Okay, jeez it was only a suggestion." Tucker looked forlorn as he stated that they were going to miss the movie, although you could see that he was really upset that his "baby" was having issues.

"Unless we run all the red lights and ignore speed limits and somehow ignore certain laws of physics," Sam stated with a smirk of sarcasm. What she hadn't been prepared for was the answering smirk of Danny. She wondered what he could be thinking and found out moments later as they barreled down the street toward the movies, the large vehicle they were in bouncing in the air as they sped over a tall hill. All three of them held on for dear life as pedestrians rushed for safety to avoid the ghost fighting vehicle.

Jack Fenton sat behind the driver seat, his look of determination glaring at all the vehicles in his path as he swerved in and out of traffic. Tucker looked to Sam while Danny just observed the traffic, hoping that his father wouldn't kill them all with his driving. He knew his dad could be too absorbed in his ghost hunting activities. His father glanced over at him, his eyes ones of question and determination.

"Are you sure there is a ghost at the movie theater?" Danny nodded.

"Yeah...and if there isn't then you can come back and pick us up in two hours." Sam muttered something under her breath with wince as they swerved past a city bus. "Oh, um, two hours and twenty-seven minutes."

"Good thing I installed the Fenton onboard computer to compute the fastest route," Jake stated looking at the computer he had just been bragging about. It showed the streets they were just on, the darker spots on the screen the buildings that wizzed by at ungodly speeds. It was in that moment that the computer screens before him began to fizzle and flicker, the snow of a broken screen just one sign that something was wrong. Shortly after that seat belts hogtied Jack, Sam, Tucker and Danny. Sam struggled against the belts as Danny questioned his father.

"Are these some sort of new safety feature?"

"Safety feature?" That answered his question as the RV took off into the air, a face appearing on the front as the logo changed on the side. The whole vehicle glowed an eerie green as it flew over the masses. The out of control RV now dove up and down like it was a rollercoaster without tracks. Sam let out a scream as she looked forward at the electronics' store they were heading straight for. "I will just hit the ej-" He was cut off as his finger grazed the button sending all the occupants out of the RV before it crashed into the building. With quick thinking Sam transformed as the parachute fanned out over her before disappearing into the store where the RV had crashed into a wall of televisions.

Sam looked around the building before her, customers still vacating the area, but she didn't see her foe...until the televisions where the RV had crashed began to crackle as the computers in the RV had moments ago. It was then that the screens began to fill with the same picture...a lime green skull.


	32. Chapter 32

Just as quickly as the skulls appeared they all flickered together to become one big green skull that laughed down at the teen before him. Then they flickered away to become Technus, his crooked smile twisting into a grin as he gloated before his enemy. The electronics around her began floating, the ones with monitors broadcasting the green skinned ghost as others attached to the RV still stuck in the middle of the wall of televisions.

"Hm, flat screen," Technus murmured he looked around, attaching selected items to the RV. Before long the RV was supped up, the former Fenton RV gone and now Technus' mobile transformation! "Meet Technus 2.0!" He crowed loudly, the creature before her knocking her back with the power he let off. "Now with pop up blocker!" A laser appeared on the top of his mechanical wonder, shooting at Sam who lay defenseless on the ground before him. She was lifted up, gathering her wits as she was level with him, her green eyes flashing at him.

"Sounds like the same Technus to me so spit it out already so I can kick your butt," the Goth muttered.

"So wrong," he said. "This Technus doesn't reveal his secrets," he continued while folding his arms, a smug look on his face. "Try me." Sam looked confused and thoughtful before asking a rather random question, the male still holding her in a ray, growling out in response, "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Sam was then grabbed and tossed out of the building, her small form crashing thru the roof and into a nearby dumpster. With a crash the lid fell on her head as Technus flew off in the other direction. Sam stuck her head out of the dumpster, her eyes flashing dangerously at the trail left by the new ghost version of her enemy. She knew she should go after him, but after that last bashing she needed to regroup.

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"I really wanted to give us a ghost free weekend," Sam muttered as she pulled a rotten piece of meat out of her shirt with a wince. "Now that is impossible...or is it?" The Goth looked to Danny with a smirk of mischief. Transforming before the pair of males she disappeared downstairs only to reappear with a rather familiar tool. "The Fenton Ghost Catcher! Expunges everything ghost!"

"Um, Sam, you have never even been near that thing much less used it!" Danny warned with a look of not so fond remembrance of the thing that had separated him from his ghost half for less than a second, but still not something he wanted to be near. Tucker shuddered because he too had been separated from his Desiree formed ghost using the same tool.

"You told me it separated your ghost half from your human half and that's just what I need. Can't be that dangerous if it helped you before and can help us now." Sam wasn't super sure of what she was doing, but she couldn't handle hunting ghosts ALL the time. She was still new to the whole thing and needed a tiny break, though Danny hadn't had a break and he had been doing this longer than she had. Did that mean she was weak? No, it just meant that she had been given an advantage that Danny hadn't had before or one that he had used anyway.

"Sam, I know what it feels like, not having some personal time, but this isn't the ideal way to go about it. You have-"

"I know, Danny, I have a responsibility, but I can still do it and be normal. Don't I have that right? Besides my parents are starting to figure that something has changed in my life and if they figure out..." she faded off letting the two teens figure it out on their own. As they worked out that her parents would more than likely send her away or worse the Goth flew thru the green glowing wires of the Ghost Catcher, her two forms splitting as a scream ripped from her throat, the pain of splitting herself over in seconds as her human half fell to the ground and the ghost half floated above them all. What happened next was a little surprising to all of them.

The ghost half of Sam smirked down at all of them, her green eyes flashing as she looked almost too happy to be separated from human half that glared up at her.

"Finally!" the ghost half cried out. Danny looked to Tucker in confusion and then at Sam who just kept scowling. What was going on here. Suddenly the human Sam walked off, seeming to not care about her two male friends while the ghost half floated down with a sigh. "I am so glad to be rid of my human half," she stated as she hugged them. "She was holding back the real me. Now I can truly make the world a better place."

"Um, I get the anti-social Sam?" Tucker questioned as he ran off leaving Danny with the ghost half of the Goth. Danny looked to his friend, well, half of his friend. What was he going to do to fix this because having an activist as a friend wasn't bad when she was also his anti-social friend. The halves complimented themselves and now she was almost like a hero, but not quite about helping just the human race.

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The next few days were strange with both Tucker and Danny hanging out with anti-social Sam while the ghost half rushed about the world not only helping the human race, the animals, but also trying to take down Technus. The only problem was that when Sam tried to get thru the ghost shield that the other ghost put up she found that she was only a ghost, not a half ghost. That was what she had wanted, but now that her limitations were shown she found that she wasn't what she wanted to be.

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Meanwhile...

"I don't know why you want to "hang out" with me," Sam muttered darkly as she finished applying her dark eyeliner. Danny looked her up and down. It seemed that Sam had gone even darker than before, her clothing now a long black skirt that fell over her black boots. Her tank top now had no color, the purple circle gone. It was replaced with a skull in the color of deep lavender. "I just want to be alone."

"Sam, you know that this isn't you," Tucker stated while looking around Sam's newly remodeled room. It was strange how fast the Goth could change her room, though if you remembered the fact that she was rich you could see how she could change it so fast.   
Danny was beginning to see that this really wasn't a good idea. Sam needed both her activist half and her anti-social half to make her who she was. Now he needed to-

"Would you just bug off," she muttered as she snapped her fingers. Her butler appeared and with a curt order the pair was removed from the premises. "And stay away!" the Goth called from her window before slamming it shut.

"This isn't good," Tucker stated. "What can we do, Danny?" The former halfa looked lost as they stood there in the evening light. "Danny?"

"I don't know. I mean, we should get them back together, but I don't see how that is possible since the ghost half of Sam seems quite happy to be rid of her human form, that is just as happy to be left alone." Just then the ghost half of Sam crashed into a part of Sam's home, the house crumbling easily, but obviously not enough to make the anti-half of Sam come out. "Maybe we just need to get them in the right place at the right time." A familiar look came over Danny, a look that only Tucker had seen when his friend had been the Phantom.

"What are you thinking?"

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The next morning found Danny, Tucker, and Anti-Sam at the park, though the Goth didn't seem to interested in all the rides that moved before her.

"Why did you bring me here? Hell, why did I let you talk me out of leaving the house?" Just then the whole park came to a standstill as super Sam came rushing, well, came falling out of the skies toward them. With a crash she hit the ground as a loud chuckle filled the air. The Goth beside him looked around, uninterested in what was going around her until Technus appeared throwing his weight around, literally, knocking rides down as he clung to the power lines around the park. At the point that screams filled the air the Goth beside him suddenly became interested. Was Sam that sick? No, she just was Gothic and Goth's were interested in the strangest things. But what happened next was what got his attention.

"I see what you have been doing, Technus!" the hero Goth stated. "You have been wasting energy to power yourself up!" She rushed to take him down and the Sam next to Danny seemed to yearn, her amethyst eyes filling with a familiar emotion, as she watched her other half attempt to take the ghost male down.

"Come on, son," Jack stated, appearing at their side in his Specter Speeder. Sam blinked in surprise and Tucker stepped back in fear. He knew how Jack Fenton drove in a regular car, so who knew how he drove in a ghost vehicle? "We have to take that ghost down now!" Danny reached for his friends as he was drug into the darkness of the cockpit. The anti-Sam blinked, a feeling shinning in her eyes for a split second as the ship took off with her best friend.


	33. Chapter 33

The hero Sam looked up in shock as she noticed the Speeder, the realization of what was going on clear in her green gaze. The other part of her looked on in horror as she too realized what was about to happen. She didn't care, but at the same time she knew that the other Sam was part of her, was her, and even if there were times in her life that she truly didn't think she mattered... This moment cleared that up as she looked over at her friend. Tucker was looking less than thrilled with the fact that Jack Fenton wanted to dispose of the ghost in front of him. What either of them could see was Danny as his father pushed him in front of the controls, forcing the prior ghostly male into aiming the weapons at Sam. Sam's eyes grew wide with fear as the weapon warmed up, the sonar telling Danny that it was locked and loaded and that all he had to do was push the red button. Below him the anti-Sam took a step forward, real fear flickering in her amethyst gaze as her best friend made a fake fumble, blasting the air next to the floating Sam and in effect falling out of the speeder.

Screams filled the air as the former halfa tumbled toward the earth, anti-Sam rushing forward as if she could somehow save her friend while the other Sam dove down, speeding to catch him. The hero managed to catch her best friend, though she wasn't physically able to hold him long as gravity pulled them all down and on top of anti-Sam.

"Fuck," the anti-Sam grumbled under the pair as Sam found herself face to face with her crush. Hearing the curse the couple attempted to de-tangle themselves off of the angry Goth. BAM! The ground shuddered as a blast shattered the earth before them, Jack bearing down on them angrily, worried about his son being so close to his target.

"I'll save you son!" he hollered. Behind the ghost hunter appeared Technus, his large size making the ground shake as he shot at Jack, several shots hitting the speeder and knocking it forward. The trio rushed toward the downed human, though both Sams were more concerned with the large mechanical ghost getting them and less with the man wanting to kill them.

"Back up copies? Why didn't I think of that?" the ghost queered before turning tail and rushing off. Hero Sam grabbed anti-Sam by the arms and headed off, leaving Danny, Tucker and Jack behind.

"We need to head him off," the hero stated to the scowling anti. Glaring up at her ghost half the Goth attempted to cross her arms.

"Us? Don't think so."

"Why not?" the hero inquired. "It's our job!"

"Correction, it's your job! I can't even go ghost or did you lose your brain when you became a ghost?" The hero half shook her head.

"You can get past his ghost shield and I can't." Another protest was about to escape her lavender lips, but the hero Sam wasn't about to hear it as she dropped her human half on the back of Technus. The anti-Sam grumbled something under her breath, but entered the ghostly monster as the other half headed for the front. As hero Sam began shooting at the mechanical ghost the anti-Sam began pushing buttons, hoping that she was anywhere but in the stomach of a ghost. With each button another device opened up and drained the battery of Technus, the disco ball flashing and the radio blasting as they began to slow in their path to the power plant. With the power draining the large monstrosity finally stopped at the edge of the pier as hero Sam pulled anti-Sam from the belly of the beast, the pair pushing him into the water.

"If Danny's dad expects me to pay for that then he is sooooo out of luck," anti-Sam grumbled.

"And that is what makes you such a bad person," hero Sam stated as the other Goth walked away. That stopped her though. She looked over at the other Sam, her lips twisted up.

"Here's the deal though, hero," she stated with a sneer. "I don't care much for what others think, unlike you. I don't care about you or my parents or Jack Fenton."

"You care about Danny, and I know that for a fact or you wouldn't have been trying to catch him. Face the facts that no matter human or ghost we want to protect the one person who has been there for us."

"Suuure, he's been there for us, but there are times he doesn't seem to care what we think and for that I am glad to be rid of all o-" she was cut off as hero Sam overshadowed her in attempt to combine them.

"Then maybe there doesn't need to be me or you, but an us, the real us." At that moment Danny and Tucker appeared.

"Sam?" She turned to them with a smile, her amethyst eyes a blazing green. "Are you okay?"

"Never better," she said, her hands on her hips. Eyebrows raised the boys looked to each other.

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As they sat in Danny's room, Sam looking pensively at the Catcher Tucker voiced his concerns. The sun was setting in the window overlooking the city.

"Are you sure everything is good?" The Goth looked over at the pair of males.

"Tuck's right," the former halfa stated. "Something seems off about you. How did you merge back together?"

"Well, I j-" Sam started to say, cut off suddenly as an eerie glow surrounded her.

"Get the hell out of me!" Sam suddenly yelled, her hands reaching into her stomach to the disgust of the males before her. "What did you think you were doing?!" The hero half pointed at her.

"Making us one again!" Anti-Sam frowned as she looked in the mirror, as if her hero half could have changed something.

"You didn't merge us, you idiot! You overshadowed me! And against my will I might add! I don't want to be a part of you!"


	34. Chapter 34

"There must have been something that went wrong when I tried to duplicate myself!" the hero shouted. Danny looked around, unsure if Sam was loud enough to be heard by his parents, but even if that wasn't the case he knew his parents were on the rampage for the ghost that had now put their youngest child in danger.

"Sam, you might tone it down, you know, with my parents around."

"You didn't duplicate yourself though," Tucker stated. "Though with another swipe of it we could fix all of this." Tucker headed for the Catcher, Danny looking on for a moment in worry before assisting the techno geek. When they dropped over the twin Sams Danny found himself saying a little prayer that this would all work out because at this point in time he was afraid...very afraid he could lose a friend. When they lifted the catcher Danny felt his stomach drop.

"Or make it worse..." Jazz chose that moment to walk in, her mouth opening and Danny's name leaving her lips, but at the moment she looked up and saw the two Sams her eyes grew large and unsure. Taking a step back she let out a shriek. As soon as she disappeared from view Danny looked to the two now identical Sams.

"Danny! What is going on in there?!" Jack yelled.

"Shit! One of you has got to hide and now!" Danny cried as he and Tucker shoved both Sams into the closet before Tucker cried out that he called the hero Sam. "Damn." Shutting the door on the pair Danny and anti-Sam turned around just in time for Jack to walk into the room.

"Why is the Ghost Catcher in your room?" the tall male inquired. "You march that back down into the lab right this instant mister." As Danny walked it down to the lab Sam stood there in confusion, Maddie entering the room right after her husband had just left.

"Hey kids," the red head said with a worried look. "Jazz seems to think that something is wrong with...Sam...and well, you need to show her that Sam is okay." She looked to the Goth that stood alone in the room. "Where is Danny?"

"Took something down for his dad," Sam said, her tone dead. "Why should I care?" Before Maddie could question the attitude of Sam the doorbell rang sending both adults down the stairs to find a policeman at the door. As they stood there dealing with the once possessed machine Danny, Tucker and the two Sams made their way down to the lab with the Ghost Catcher.

"Hey, kids!" Jack called down as the pair of parents ran down the lab stairs. Danny stepped in front of one of the Sams, Tucker joining him as the pair of parents stepped into the room. In Jack's hands was a large black box.

"The good news is that we recovered the RV's black box and now we can find out how that ghost took over the RV."

"All we have to do is download all it's memory to the Fenton mainframe." As he headed over to connect the two devices Sam and Danny rushed over to stop him. They were too late as Jack connected the pair, a blast of green ecto energy shot out from the mainframe and an evil chuckle echoed around them all, the machine coated in the green ecto power as Technus took control of his new territory.

"This is great! With the power of this house I can take all of the energy of this city and the world!" He stopped for a moment and looked around. "No body heard that, right?" Below him the power was surging around Jack and the gang. Wires, cords and other electronic appendages were coiling together as they rushed at the humans, leaving both Sams alone.

"No!" they cried transforming into the Phantom. Looking down the pair looked to each other in confusion. "We can still transform?!"

"You get them out and I will take care of Technus!" hero Sam commanded. Scowling, anti-Sam attempted to attack the ball of wires only to find out that she had no energy blasts while hero Sam found that she couldn't phase thru the ceiling as she hit it with a loud thump.

"Why can't anything go right?!" the Sams complained at the same time. Hero Sam took off up the stairs, her ghost tail streaking behind her as the anti-Sam looked rather befuddled about how she could get Danny, Tucker and the Fenton family free of Technus' wiring. Another machine controlled by the ghost came at her, it's claws extended as it attempted to get at her. Jumping over the machine she reached out to touch the wired bunch, sure that her powers wouldn't work yet again. With a surprised yelp the group of humans fell out from the wires as she phased them thru the cocoon. Above them Sam was fighting the ghost as he attempted to suck more power from the OP's Center. Cursing the machine for ruining the weekend the group had had planned she failed to notice the machines gathering around her until she was shot with a short burst of electricity.

With a scream of anguish she fell from the roof, right in front of the group of humans and anti-Sam.

"Wait? Isn't that awful ghost girl over here?" Jack questioned, the group looking at the anti-Sam, only to find a human looking Sam. Sam shrugged at him, looking kinda bored with the whole situation. "I must be seeing things now," Jack muttered. At that moment green beams of energy shot down as the house shook, Technus shouting high over head.

"Dad?! Mom?!" Jack and Maddie looked to the house in fear and shock as Jazz cried out from the second story window. With a cry the parents rushed off to assist their trapped child as large pipe like arms crashed thru the concrete streets. More appeared and crashed down around the teens. As they fell back from the impending danger the house rose up over them, the shadows around them growing before their wide eyed gazes. As the house headed away from the them anti-Sam transformed, glaring at the house.

"We have to stop him!" hero-Sam yelled pointing at the house.

"Good luck," anti-Sam stated crossing her arms. The other Sam moved closer, taking the anti-Sam by the arm.

"I don't think so. You and I are doing this together since we both only have HALF of our powers!" At first it seemed like the other Sam was going to hit the hero, but with a shrug she took off after Technus only to find that she couldn't fly. With a sigh hero-Sam grabbed her other half and took off with Danny and Tucker in tow. They moved quickly, anti-Sam phasing them all as they flew overhead. Unnoticed they phased into Fenton works.

"No one can stop me now!" Technus boasted as he continued his rampage.

"Not one but maybe two of us can take you down Technus!" Both Sams cried as they entered the room from the hatch. He laughed hard.

"Even with the two of you I will rule the world because you can't defeat my ghost shield!" Throwing up his arms the dish above him began to glow bright, the shield coming down around them. Both Sams smirked.

"That would work soooo much better if we weren't INSIDE the shield," anti-Sam stated.

"No matter," Technus stated. "With my upgrade I am extremely adaptable!" Throwing his new arms up he began to attack, the pair of Sams dodging each punch, but again, Sam with her newly dysfunctional powers was unable to dodge and weave, making her an easy target. One was taken down with an arm and when the other Sam tried to intervene found that she couldn't fly up to save her other half. Technus struck her with a beam. Bringing both close to his face he began to gloat again. "If you find your focus split you must learn how to multitask!"

"Multitask this!" Danny cried out as he and Tucker rushed out with the Dream Catcher. Swiping it over Technus' monitor they stepped back. Techus' monitor went blank and the house dropped with a loud thud as the teens stood there, Technus taking form before them. He turned to them, still sounding triumph.

"My ghost form needs an upgrade as well," he yelled as he made another attempt. Both Sams rushed at him, grasping him by his ghost tail and yanking backward. As they fell back the pair fell into the Ghost Catcher and became one. Techus took this chance to run, not far, and proclaim his newest plans.

"Not much of a difference to me," she stated grabbing onto him again. "Seems like 2.0 Technus is still the same old 1.0 to me!" Tucker threw Sam a thermos and with flick of her wrist she contained him, the problematic ghost gone once again. Technus managed to mutter one last phrase before the lid was thrown onto the thermos. Tucker looked at the Catcher, confusion on his face as he wondered as to how that last time combined the Goths.

"Hmmm...side one combine...side two...well, dang that makes sense." At that moment the rest of the Fenton household made their appearance, the parents smiling at each other as they recalled their memories. Sam looked to her friends with a smile. She was glad that she had them since had they not been there she would be dead. Grabbing the railing behind her she looked out at the people before her. She could only imagine how Danny had put up with it all. He was blessed because even though his mother and father had claimed to want to catch him, had the Fenton parental unit known who they were after they would have loved him for his other half...unlike her own parents which would have shied away from her or worse...sent her away. These were the times she truly wished she had Danny's life.

"What are you thinking?" the former halfa questioned as he and Tucker moved closer to her.

"How blessed you are," Sam whispered, but before her friends could ask anymore questions Jack came over.

"Gotta move the house back to where it was," the older Fenton male stated.

"I don't know dad," Jazz stated. "Do you think we could keep the house here until after the summer?" The group looked out at the view, Fenton Works having landed on the beach as the sun was setting.


	35. Chapter 35

Sam growled under her breath, annoyed at the pint sized ghost that had invaded her home, her parents of course completely oblivious to the guest. Even when said guest knocked shit over in the halls, destroyed the back yard, tore through her mother's dresses and threw their butler in the pool. It's like they couldn't see the brat as he yelled and tormented all those that occupied the house. No, instead her parents turned to her. It had been going on for days and with Danny out of town with his family and Tucker in his home playing his games it seemed that she was the only one left to deal with the petulant child. Not that the former halfa wouldn't be back at school with her that day, but still it had sucked not having him there.

"I don't know what is wrong with you Sam," her father stated with a sigh. "You were always so well behaved and then suddenly you started acting out with all this dark clothing, that awful makeup and now you're terrorizing the help."

"It's those friends you hang ou-" Sam let out a growl, her eyes narrowing at her parents.

"Those are my friends! Should be glad I have any with the way you two are!" she spat. She hated when they brought her friends into their judgement of her. Danny and Tucker were real at least, not fake like her parents' friends. They just told you what you wanted to hear...But then again her parents did the same thing.

"Excuse me, Samantha?" her mother inquired, narrowing her own eyes. There were moments that her mother reminded her of herself, but those moments were few and far between. She wondered what her mother had been like as a child. Giving herself a mental shake she narrowed her eyes further before letting out a huff and stomping off. "We are not done!" her mother yelled.

"Yeah we are," Sam yelled back as she headed out the door, slamming the door after stating, "Have to go to school." As soon as the door shut she whispered, "Thank god for that."

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At school Sam rushed to her locker, looking around her as she opened it. Lucky for her there weren't many students around at this time of the morning, just a few that came to school early for social time with their friends before they were separated by class. As she pulled books out of her locker she tried to calm down. It wasn't like she was the only one that would be able to see that ghost, not like her parents who were probably just ignoring the obvious.

"Hey Sam," the former halfa greeted as he came over. When she turned his brow went up in question. "You look a little stressed. Parents on the attack again?" Danny knew her well enough to know when Sam's parents went on the war path, both the Mansons yearning for the day their child would be like them... She nodded.

"A little bit, but more to do with the ghost that is in our house."

"A ghost is in your house?" She nodded again.

"Never seen him before though. He's just a snot nosed little brat that seems to be a poltergeist." Brow raised Danny wondered at that. All the other ghosts that the trio had seen had wanted to take him down, take over the town or some other motive that involved Amity Park, but for one to just want to cause mischief...that was a different motive.

"Why not get rid of him, Sam?" Danny inquired. Sam growled low, her lack of sleep apparent.

"Kinda hard when my parents haven't left the house or left me alone," she muttered. "And the fact that they can't see the squirt makes it all the more like I have become a monster than my parents already think I am."

"I would love to help you with that," Danny stated, his tone becoming apologetic, "but seems my parents think it's bonding family time. They are taking me and Jazz on a family trip." Sam grimaced. She knew that there was one thing she was lucky for. Her parents didn't do car trips. Not only couldn't they stand being cramped up in a vehicle, no matter how large, but they couldn't do each other's company for long periods of time. Sure, her parents were polite, but between her mother's aggressive behavior and her father's passive behavior Sam would surely go crazy, and they would fight like rabid animals over the smallest things. "Do they not have some sort of event coming up? I mean they are always supporting some charity or having a party aren't they?"

"Not to my knowledge, but then again I'm not in their social network." It was at that moment that Tucker rushed over to them, a large grin on his face.

"Hey you guys! Guess what?" Before either could respond Tucker continued, "So, we know that Danny had this issue, but since it's now you who might find yourself in this situation..." he faded off for a moment. "You know how you have those moments when you need to go ghost but you are stuck with your family?" Danny and Sam glanced at each other before returning their gaze to the dark skinned male before them.

"Seems I can't escape the parental unit...Why?" Sam stated, ending her answer with a question of her own.

"Well, now you can do it with little effort because I made this!" Holding up what appeared to be an iPod Tucker announced his electronics name, "The Tucker Foley Alibi-o-matic!" He waited for the pair to say something, but the only thing they did was blink, looking at him as if he had grown a second head. "Put it behind closed doors and presto you're asleep!" He pushed a button and snoring emitted from the small device. "There's more!"

"Does there have to be?" Sam grumbled. Tucker ignored her comment and continued with several other sounds that his device could make.

"It can sneeze and even, my specialty-" he cut off as the device let out a fart. "How much would you pay?" He was super proud of his device as Danny snatched the offending noise maker away to silence it.

"Toooo make it stop?" the Goth inquired, hands on hips. Taking the device from Danny Sam shoved it into her pocket with plans to destroy it later. Little did she know that a certain red headed female was watching them as the bell for class went off.

"Thank god for class," the former halfa mutter grabbing Tucker to head off, Sam staying behind as she heard a familiar sound.

"You?! What are you doing here?" The shadow watching her turned to look at where the halfa was looking only to see thin air. "I might not have been able to do anything in front of my parents, but I'm going going-" she stopped as she ran smack dab into the shadow stalking her, her amethyst eyes growing wide in shock.


	36. Chapter 36

"What are you doing?"

"Jazz? What are you doing?" The red headed female raised a brow.

"Um, Sam, I asked you first. What are you looking at? There's nothing there!"

"You can't see him?" the Goth inquired before deciding that she needed to head out, her enemy rushing away from her. Taking a step away from the older sister of her best friend she found her wrist clasped.

"You're going nowhere except for class." Narrowing her eyes in unexpected fury at being told what to do she yanked herself free.

"Just because Danny is my friend doesn't mean that you are my sister and can boss me!" Rushing away she left the other female behind. Before Jazz could walk away though she became the only witness as Sam Phantom came crashing down the hall following...nothing. There wasn't anything in front of the ghostly heroine. Shots were fired at random it seemed, hitting the trashcan, blasting down a bulletin-board. Crashing past her the female heroine hit the girl's bathroom. Lancer walked past, his eyes wide at the destruction before turning to Jazz, shaking his head and walking off. Rushing into the bathroom she found it abandoned.

"Where?"

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Sam sighed as she sat on the top of her family's house, the wind blowing her dark hair around. She didn't know what to do with this ghost. Her friends couldn't help her with this one since neither of them were allowed in her house with her mother around. Her father was more of a follower so he wasn't a problem, but her mother... Well, that was a loss.

"So, the ghost child is a weakling." Sam looked over to find a parrot...a very dead parrot, but a bird none the less.

"Excuse me?" she questioned.

"You are a weakling. You need your family? You need your family to defeat a child?"

"I don't need anyone!" she spat, her eyes turning to slits as she moved closer to the ghostly creature. "I can do this myself!" Lunging at the bird she hit the tiles. Growling she moved to jump at the ghost, still managing to miss as he phased, causing the halfa to fall thru him. The bird took off.

"You are not getting away!" Sam spat rushing after him before a familiar female voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Samantha Manson! Where are you?!" Looking down Sam found her mother standing on the step of the large mansion. Her hands were on her hips, but even though the halfa couldn't see her face she knew her mother was scowling, her eyes flashing in that way that let all around her know that she was pissed and destruction was imminent. With a sigh she lowered herself to behind the house, de-transformed and took a step out of the shadows. "There you are! Did you forget the function we are to attend?!"

"No. I told you I wasn't going." Her mother's eyes narrowed further.

"You don't have a choice if you want to continue enjoying the freedom you have." Sam scoffed. "Samantha Alexandra Manson!"

"Fine." With a change in a mood her mother beamed before walking over, grabbing her only child by the arm and dragging her back into the house.

"Good, I knew you would see it my way!" Sam growled low but followed her mother back into the house.

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A few hours later found the Manson family at the charity function being held at Amity Town Hall. Samantha glared at her parents as they walked thru the doors and into the hustle and bustle of the crowded hall. Her mother took her father's arm and issuing a single order brought her family into the crowds, a smile on her pink lips. Glowering as her mother introduced her around, mostly to families that had male teenage boys in them, the lot of them all smiling mannequins as far as she was concerned.

It didn't take long for her mother to forget about her as she got caught up with some of her society friends while her father snuck off to smoke cigars with his male friends. Slipping away and into the darkness she waited, hoping that the event wouldn't last too long, but judging by the items lining the wall she knew it was going to be a looooong day. Sighing she leaned back against the wall, but shot back up as she noticed a familiar skeleton parrot fly over her.

"Are you serious?" she muttered questionably. Looking around she tried to spy the child ghost that usually was with the ghostly parrot. It would be hard to spot him in the crowded room, but at the same time a kid in a pirate outfit shouldn't be that hard to see in a room full of well dressed snobs. It was at that moment that one of the boys she had been introduced to walked over to her, a sickly sweet smile on his face. Groaning inwardly she forced herself to behave, because she knew if she acted out she would never hear the end of it from her mother.

"Hello, Samantha," the teen male, putting his hand out to grab hers. Even though she knew it was customary in her parent's society group for the men to kiss the hands of the women they were introduced to she didn't feel like having another kiss on her already overly kissed hand. Wincing she allowed him to touch her and do just that. "I would love to take you out sometime."

"Um, I have a boyfriend," the annoyed Goth stated. The blond male in front of her smirked now, annoying Sam even further. What did he have to smile for? She had just turned him down.

"Not what your mother said," he stated moving closer. Sam noticed over his shoulder her mother grinning from ear to ear. "In fact she was just telling my mother that we should have a few play dates together. Might be setting our wedding date as we speak." The raven haired beauty was about to say something scathing to him when she saw her prey moving around the food laden table. He was playing with the punch bowl, well, looked more like he was pouring something into the punch. Forcing a smile to her lavender lips she looked at her unwanted companion.

"How about you get us some punch, um," she paused, not having really paid much attention to any of the names of the teens she had been pretty much paraded in front of.

"Bradly," he supplied. "And I would loooove to do that for you." Turning from her he headed into the crowd giving the Goth the chance to slip off into the shadows before reappearing after a flash of blue light.

"Now to grab that brat," she muttered before going invisible. "I wish Danny were here."


	37. Chapter 37

Meanwhile Danny was having the same thought, wishing that he was with his friend. He was wondering as to what ghost was at her house, tormenting her with her parents either ignoring it or just not seeing it. It didn't take him long to realize what or rather who was tormenting the Gothic teen's home. "Youngblood!" Jazz looked over at her brother in confusion to what he had said, but brushed it off, though not completely as she thought of the young dark haired girl that had been acting so strangely earlier and now her brother. There was something going on here and she was going to find out.

Danny pulled out his phone, calling the teen that now had his powers, but upon receiving no answer grumbled about what could be causing the teen to ignore his call. Hitting another number he called the other ghost fighter, though unsure if Tucker would be too busy with his games to even notice the phone. He was surprised when his friend did answer, though the techno-geek sounded distracted.

"Tucker," he hissed, shooting his sister a look before he got up and headed for the bathroom in the back of the Fenton RV. He wished he could leave, knowing that leaving the Goth in the hands of the dark skinned male was NOT a good idea. While he trusted the other male he found that his friend could be truly ignorant and rather cowardly when it came down to the task of helping their friend fight. It had been that way when he had been the halfa. He hadn't paid too much attention at first, but now found that with Sam in the role that he had had that he could see it more outside the box. Sam had been fearless, even when she could have been harmed or even killed, while their friend, Tucker, had been more of a shadow that stood back and only intervened if he had to. When he knew that his friend was listening he shut the door to the toilet and whispered what he wanted the other male to do.

While the male on the other end sounded less than pleased with the instructions he didn't say that, only mentioning that Sam wouldn't like what Danny wanted him to do. "She needs help," the former halfa spat back. Sure, he knew that his friend might not like him interfering with whatever was going on in her home, but he was also sure that she wanted the apparition to leave her alone. She hadn't been getting much sleep in the last few weeks so it only made sense that she was cranky. "Do it, Tucker!" Hanging up he leaned against the wall of his family's car and whispered, "Damn it."

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Sam was skulking around, her body invisible to all as she hunted down the small kid that she had seen, his appearance now familiar as she recalled that same child had been with Ember when the pair had taken all the adults to the skies in an attempt that had been thwarted with the assistance of their classmates. Groaning as she passed by her mother as the woman told another female that Sam would be married off as soon as she came of age. Glaring at the woman who had birthed her she wondered what made her mother think that she had any say in what the Gothic teen would do once she turned 18. The sound of a giggle was heard before the lights went out in the room and Sam found herself forgetting her anger at her mother as that anger was channeled toward getting rid of the ghost child that was tormenting her. What she couldn't figure out was why no one else could seem to see this kid.

Before she could think of anything else she found herself lassoed and pulled to the ground in one move as the lights came back on and she was looking up into her mother's shocked face. While she was still a ghost and knew her mother, though the one that birthed her, would never guess that it was her child laying before her the woman before her became pale, a whimper passing her pink lips as she fainted. "It's a ghost!" was screamed by the woman with her before said woman promptly followed her mother to the ground. Within seconds of this happening the Goth heard the sound of a horse and while she knew there was no way for such a beast to be in the crowded room she glanced at the sound to find the same ghost as before sitting there on the body of a skeleton ghost looking rather pleased with himself as he spurred the horse under him to move.

The onlookers watched in shock and fear as she was drug thru that very crowd, no one making a move to help her, not that she was surprised, as they parted to allow her thru. The ghost before her dragged her forward, a wall right before him as he smirked and she knew what he was planning, but too late as she was slammed into a wall with a resounding 'thud' while the ghost boy and his steed went thru the wall. Letting out a cry that was a mixture of pain and frustration she forced her body to fight back, going intangible before reaching out to try and grasp the rope that held her foot. At least she wasn't in that dress her mother had forced her to wear to this cursed event, but her skirt was another issue. It wasn't very long, but it was getting in her way and with the lights so bright in the room the white was blinding her. She fell back again as the horse in front of her changed directions so that she would strike another wall and as she was no longer intangible, she did just that. Spots swam in her vision as she again forced herself to reach for the rope binding her. She had little in the way of energy at the moment but with a surge of adrenaline she grasped the rope and flew forward to tackle the little creep that had been harassing her.

She just didn't know how Danny did all of this on a daily basis and while she didn't regret what she had done so that her friend wouldn't have to go thru the portal again, she wished that she had had more time to get up to speed with her lack of training and powers. Her body slammed into the other ghost, his cry of indignation echoing in her ears as she quickly moved to tie up his horse. He glared at her as only a child could do and while she really wanted to smack the crap out of the kid for all the trouble he was causing she really wanted to know the answer to one question. "Why can't they see you?!" she hissed as he wound up the rope that came from the spot where his hook had been the last time she had run into him.

He giggled at her, a rather dark giggle, as he smiled. "Well, duh, ghost girl! Why do you think I call myself, Youngblood?" Blinking at the name he continued, "Because only kids can see me!" She frowned at his words, recalling that every time she had seen him she had been the only child in the area, though she wasn't a child, but a teen.

"Damn it!" she cursed as she grabbed him by the scruff of his collar, though she knew that she needed to get back to the party before her parents freaked out and she was forced to stay in her room, far from what her parents saw as bad influences on her while her friends would be forced to fight in her place. With Danny a regular human now and Tucker very little in the way of aid to him they would be harmed or worse. The boy in her hands went intangible, thrusting her away from him in a smooth movement before flying off to leave the Goth sitting there on the ground as the sound of footsteps was heard. Cursing again she looked around before turning back into her human half just as her parents came upon her, their look of disappointment evident by the looks on their faces.

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Tucker walked over to Sam's house while this was happening and when he got there he noted that the car that usually waited out front was gone so that was a clue that at least her parents were gone. Walking up the steps he knocked, glancing down at his PDA in his hand. He really would rather be at home instead of talking to his friend that was rather pissy lately, not that he didn't understand. Sure, he had no idea what either of his friends had gone thru as the role of Phantom, but he knew that the Goth was rather ticked off with the lack of sleep and that made even the best of people rather annoyed. He, himself, had been on that side of the glass, having stayed up one weekend to play games had put him in a foul mood when he had to interact with people at school the following Monday and while he wasn't as grouchy as the Goth when it came to that mood, he knew it could always be worse. Add to the fact that she was claiming a ghost was harassing her, keeping her up and making her rather pissy parents think that she was getting worse...

Well, that just boded worse for the female in question. The door opened at that moment to reveal the butler, the male rather familiar with the teen before him immediately responded with, "Lady Samantha is not here at the moment." He raised a brow at that. Where could the Goth be? As if reading his mind the butler gave him a response. "She has gone with her parents to an event and will not be back until later." Before the techo-geek could respond the door was shut on his face. If she was with her parents in a place that he was sure was crowded with other people then there was no need for him to go, not that he was sure he could get into such an event, and thus he headed back home to resume his gaming activity. He briefly thought about calling Danny and letting him know that all was well, but with a shake of his head decided that with nothing to report he didn't need to call the other male.

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Danny was glaring at his phone, his sister watching him from the corner of her vision and wondering why her brother was staring at his device as if it were not an inanimate object. "What's wrong?" He shot her a look, one that was a split of irritation and questioning. Why did she care that he was looking down at his phone anyway?

"Nothing," he muttered before shoving the offending device back into his pocked and looking out the window as the scenery passed before him. She frowned, but knowing how her brother was she let it go as her own mind wondered back to the quandary regarding the Goth that her brother was currently thinking about. 'I hope that everything is okay.' He had never thought that he would miss his powers as much as he was at that moment, but with every day that passed he found that he missed being the Phantom. Not that he liked being a hero necessarily, but because if he was his alter ego then at least he could find a way to help his friend with her problem. Sam had always been there for him and when she needed him at this moment he was unable to be there. Sighing he closed his eyes as the car rumbled under him.


	38. Chapter 38

Sam was glowering at her parents as they stood over her. She leaned back on her bed, wondering what kind of punishment they were going to give her now, not that the punishment of going to that charity event wasn't enough. Her mother crossed her arms while her father just looked down at her in disappointment. They were always disappointed in her, but she hadn't cared, but that look in her mother's eyes was foreboding and she wondered how bad it was going to be... or if her mother was still thinking of what she could do to turn her child from what she claimed to believe was unbefitting to one of her station.

"Samantha, we feel that what happened tonight was beyond what even we feared could happen," the red head stated as she continued to glower back at her daughter. "Not only did you act like a low class child with your antics, but you were rude to my friend's child." Oh, so this was about her mother's attempt to get her with another of her social circle. That made sense to the Goth and when she opened her mouth to say something her mother cut her off with, "After all that we have done to ensure that you would find a suitable husband for the future, you just keep showing them how classless you can be and that reflects on us." Sam didn't care about that and while she felt the urge to just disappear before their eyes she knew that her doing that was not the right move, not something that wouldn't backfire if they ever got their hands on her. No, her mother and father wouldn't just send her away, they would send her to a place where tests could be performed on her or they would find a place to stash her while they used their money to do something about her strange powers.

"Your mother is right," her father stated, disappointment on his face and disgust in his tone. "I have allowed for this to continue for far too long while your mother has been telling me that I was being too soft on you, but that stops today." Her eyes narrowed further, her dark brows knitting together at those words. What could her parents do? Well, there were quite a few things. They could send her away, not that she would stay away, but they could cause her friends problems and that was a bigger concern and then there was her alter ego. She would need to stay here to protect her friends and the city that they lived in. She could care less about the others that had tormented her, but like Danny had done she would have to protect them as well. She couldn't just brush them off.

"So," she said, her voice cold, but so soft as her eyes flashed at them. She hadn't realized then that her eyes had flashed green until her mother and father blinked in confusion and she cursed herself. Danny's eyes had never done that, had they? She had never really noticed the change, but judging by her parents reactions something had happened and although she had only felt the surge of power when her emotions had risen she knew that only that could have been the case as she felt no effects from her transformed state. Looking down she knew by looking at the dress she was still wearing that, yes, she was still as she had been. "What are you going to do?"

"We have decided that until other arrangements can be made that you will be staying home," her mother said after a moment, her eyes still watching her own child's amethyst gaze for what she had been sure she had seen just moments ago. When nothing happened, save for their daughter muttering something hateful under her breath, she continued, "A tutor shall be hired and you will continue the rest of your studies for the year under their supervision."

"I hate you," she spat, turning from them for a moment as she felt her emotions rising again. "Get out of my room." At first it seemed that they weren't going to do it, but with a glace toward the other parent the pair left her, the door locking behind her. She shot a look at the now locked door, but paid it little heed. Was this what the kid had been trying to do? Why would he- 'Of course, with me out of the way then he and the other ghosts can run amok.' While she knew that she could escape from the room whenever she wanted, well, when she was alone, that wasn't too much of a problem, but her mother had stated that arrangements would be made for the future so that meant she could very well be taken away from her home and then what could she do? She could run back here, but who was to say how far her parents would send her? "Fuck." Flopping back on her bed she refused to think the worse and wondered if maybe she shouldn't have taken the obvious bait of the small child when she was in the presence of her parents and their "friends".

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Said child was hanging out above her house, looking rather pleased with itself, but it wasn't done. No, he wasn't done by a long shot. While her being punished worked to his advantage, he would need her to get sent away or something that would prevent her from stopping them. Maybe an attempt to kill her parents would make them send her away? Smirking he flew into the home of Sam, his eyes taking in the woman before him, her mouth opening to allow a wisp of blue out before she turned to him in surprise.

"You!" she hissed, but before she could do more he flew at her, intent to overshadow her. The goth was thrown back with the force of his invasion, her mind sending out a shock to the rest of her body and with that in mind she fought him, her fingers grasping at her raven locks with a growl of warning. "G-Get...the...f-fuck.. OUT!" It took a lot of fight, her energy already spent from earlier and with her lack of sleep it was taxing her body further, but he was out, his small form on the floor before her. She went to transform when the door was thrust open to reveal her parents, both of them looking around for whatever she had been yelling at, a brow raised on both of them when they found no one there with their daughter. Sam didn't know what to say, so she said nothing, opting that she was better off keeping her trap shut, even with the boy still on the floor before her. He had other ideas though, rushing forward to take the red head's body.

It was so surreal as he made her mother come at her father, knocking him back into a wall before turning his gaze on her. The smirk that twisted her mother's lips wasn't one she had ever seen on her mother's face and with a glance at her father, the male looking between the two from his spot on the ground she wasn't sure if he would be much help, but what could she do?

"Oh, Samantha, I think I know the perfect punishment for you," her mother said in the voice of the child, the chill that went down her back when he produced a rather large axe before taking a step toward her. "Though I can't promise that you'll live after it."

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Danny glared at the phone, as if he could see the other male that he was talking to. "What do you mean, she wasn't home and why the hell didn't you call me earlier?" He wasn't happy with his friend, though the dark skinned male had had the right idea, but at the same time who was to say that this ghost wouldn't do like the other ghosts had done in the past? Who was to say he wouldn't attack the halfa out in the open, but while that thought entered his head he was reminded that while the boy ghost had never come off as violent in the pass as he just hated adults this new attack was different than the last one and he did recall that Youngblood had tried to stab his friend, abet with a wooden sword... "Go to her house, Tuck! Something tells me that Youngblood isn't harassing Sam, he's got a plan!" Hanging up he he walked out of the bathroom, sitting down he glared at the back of his parents' heads. He should have been there to help too!

It wasn't that he didn't trust that the Goth wasn't strong enough to protect herself, that had been proven long before she had the powers, when she had been fighting beside him when he had had them. It was the fact that he had no idea what the young ghost had in mind and that was the most worrisome!

"Danny, what's wrong?" He blinked as his mother's face looked back at him, worry in her eyes. Could he tell his mother that he just had a feeling that Sam was in trouble without revealing who she was? It came to mind that this was probably how his Goth friend had felt, knowing that his parents would have understood what had happened and even if he was a ghost that they were his parents. She had always said that. He knew it was true, but he knew why she kept his secret. It was his to tell and not hers. As much as she pushed him, she had been afraid too.

"Nothing," is what he decided to say, even as fear clenched at his heart. Would the other male be able to assist and protect the one person who had stood by his side for so long, longer than even Tucker had. His mother didn't look like she believed him, but with a nod she turned back, though her eyes glanced back at him in the rearview mirror. Even though he had lied to them once, he wasn't going to repeat what he said because that would not only be a lie, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it again. He hoped it was nothing, but it wasn't... not at all.

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Tucker grumbled as he ran down the streets, darkness having fallen just about an hour ago. He wondered why Danny was being so paranoid about the Goth. He knew that Danny liked her, but just because a ghost was bothering her didn't mean she was in danger. Sure, her parents could be scary, but that didn't mean that she was in trouble in a way that co-

A cry ripped thru the air around him, the sound coming from the Goth's house that was just a few more houses down from where he was. "Sam?" Looking both ways he crossed the street and upon hitting the steps looked up as the sound of glass shattering echoing around him. Glass rained down on him, but moving to the side he managed to look up as Sam came crashing thru the window above him. She looked like her human half, but why would she be crashing thru a window and seconds later he found out why as her mother came out that same window behind her with what looked like an axe as the moon glinted off of it. "What the hell?!"

He turned to run from the house, watching as Sam transformed mid-air, though it looked like she wasn't really able to right herself. With a cry he ran forward, Jeremy in the window now on a phone, his face pale and sweaty as his hands shook.

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"Get away from me!" she screamed as the Goth glanced back at the face of her mother, her eyes flashing green right back at her. "Get out of my mother and get the hell away from me!" She didn't have enough energy to turn around and fight, hell, she had little in the way to keep her transformation and to fly as it was. She was screwed and she knew it.

"Sam!" came a male's voice. She looked down to see Tucker following behind them, his teal eyes wide as he ran. He held up something he had been carrying, the sight of the Jack o'Nine Tails making the Goth smile. She could use that! Turning her body she reached out for the invention and grasping it she continued on as Tucker ducked down when her mother followed. He watched as Sam turned around again and with a flick of her wrist nabbed her mother's form in the tangle of whips, her mouth opening in a cry of pain at the shock. She didn't want to have to do it to her mother, but she needed to get rid of that kid, so when he arose from her mother's body looking rather dazed she looked to Tucker. Did he have it? The male in question pulled out the thermos and with a yank on the cap a blue light emerged. Youngblood didn't even have a chance to react as that same light grabbed his body, the suction of it pulling the boy into it with only a scream of the kid having a fit was heard, the cap promptly closing it.

Sam fell to the ground with a gasp as she reverted to her human form, falling back on the hot tar of the street. "Thank god," she muttered as she closed her eyes, her mother awakening just after Tucker picked up Sam and ran in the other direction, the sound of a car coming. The white of the small van held only a few words in black with a calm font. Amity Park's Calming Waters.

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Sam awoke the next day in her bed, her father at her side looking rather worried as he paced the room in front of her.

"What the hell happened?" Her father looked at her, his eyes wide, but he moved to her side, sitting on the bed, still looking shocked. "Why are you lo-"

"Your mother is in the hospital," was all he said, his eyes looking down, the blue in them still cold, but she could see that he was concerned. She wanted to ask him what he meant as the woman that was her mother wasn't hurt. She might have a few scratches like she did, but her mother hadn't been hurt. "I had her committed to the hospital after what she did last night, though the doctors say she seems fine now, I don't want to take a chance." She nodded, her eyes drawn to the fact that her father had a bandage on his head. He moved to place his hand on her shoulder and then seemed to change his mind as he stood, his eyes cold now, no other emotion in his icy gaze.

She saw what he was doing and it forced a scowl on her face. Even with no one to see him, her father was holding up appearances. He loved his wife and while her parents had never said it, not in words, that they had hoped for a son, she had known there was little in the way for love between them and her. "You can go back to school, I'm not going to send you away, but know this, Samantha," he said, a warning in his tone. That of a father and a man who held status. "No one is to know that your mother is in the hospital." With that he turned from her, his warning incomplete, but she knew what he was saying. She was to keep it a secret what happened tonight, the attack on her person, though looking at the mess that was her room she would have a hard time not remembering what had happened. That wouldn't be a problem as it would all be fixed that day, so with a sigh she laid down on her bed. There was a hole in the floor and the window was broken, but she didn't care. She needed to sleep.

And closing her eyes she did just that.


	39. Chapter 39

Somewhere in the future a certain techno-geek was rushing around a lab, checking the readings on a shield that domed over the small city of Amity, another at his side with a worried look as she walked outside to look at said shield with question. The crackle of the shield a loud sound even when you were so far away from it. The male came to her side, his arm coming around her waist.

"You think she can ever break it?" the woman inquired with a glance at him. He didn't know, but he hoped that she wasn't that strong. She had been powerful before it had happened, but not sure about it now. With the death of her one loved one he wasn't sure that she hadn't gone past sane and into the territory of insane.

"With how she was before, no, but no telling since we haven't seen her since then," was his response just moments before the ground began to shake under them, the building groaning. The pair looked up in horror, no warning given, but they knew what was happening! Tucker rushed back into the room he had just left, Valerie's dad coming to assist as another shock ran thru the city, the sounds of terror filling the air when a pair of green eyes flashed on screen, but not a word was spoken. It wasn't needed anyway. This was the one that was causing the shakes below them, the one that had once been his friend, not that he had told any of them. There was a wail that came with each shudder, the sound of glass hitting all of their ears. Another wail of pain and anger that Tucker knew the Goth must be feeling. She was mad and while she was rather temperamental on a regular occasion, she was down right deadly with powers.

"God damn it!" Valerie growled. She was tired of living in fear, but at least fear had kept them alive and the town thriving, but with the Phantom haunting them you could never know when she would attack. She wasn't a persistent one on one hand, but she had stealth, her green eyes staring back at the her father and her husband when she rushed back into the room.

"I told you that I would get you all," the woman hissed, her voice so cold and calm before she flickered off the screen. It had been bad at first, but when the Phantom had first gone on a rampage she had not gone after any humans, her attacks clearing out the Ghost Zone first, but then she turned her attention to all the more popular students and then onto the teachers. She wasn't random in her attacks. First Paulina after the ghosts and then it had been Dash, the blond torn into pieces when they found him. She wasn't just deadly, but she made sure that whoever she killed was really brutalized before they met their end. They were lucky that all three of them were on the ground when the large structures that held up the dome blew up as sirens filled the air with the warning that had come too late. Several people were killed by them as they crashed to the ground. They could do nothing as people scattered and as the pair ran outside to watch all of this happen, the skies grew dark, the air filled with smog from all the destruction outside the dome that had now disappeared. Grabbing Tucker she rushed back in, her father already heading to the safe place while Jack and Maddie waited by the door. They were not the same as they had been before, after the death of their son at the hands of a ghost that had blown up the Nasty Burger.

Behind them the ground cracked and split, the aura of the known assailant glowing purple in her rage as she appeared before them. No longer was she as young as she had been, her slender form turning to face them with a sneer. She glowered at the ghost fighters, even Jack and Maddie received a look of disgust. She would kill them all for what had happened and while she knew it wasn't directly their fault she didn't care. She was mad! She hated them all for the loss of the one person she had loved and now he was gone! Gone because of Lancer taking them to that damned place when he should have known better and so she found that all adults must die for what had happened. They were supposed to be smarter than this!

"You all disappoint me," she spat as her eyes flashed blood red. "And so you must all suffer the fate that never should have befallen him!" With a movement of her hand a blast of energy began to glow and all five that were in the room were gone.

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A small ghost stood before a glass, his voice deep even as his appearance was that of a child. "Now you see what has happened," a voice said. The small ghost turned, his red eyes glowing brightly against his light blue skin, as he changed again, his form older.

"I see that Sam Phantom becomes the most powerful and deadly person in the world, but what do you want me to do about it?" he asked the shadows. One stepped forward, his head green and seeming out of sorts for his slender body. His one green eye blinked as his other companion come out of the dark.

"You, as the ghost of time, shall destroy Sam Phantom," was their response. "To ensure that the future is safe, this is your task, Clockwork." Behind them the female glowered, the screen flickered on pause.

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Another school day in the present was where the three teens were found, along with all the other students, watching as Lancer talked before them. It was an assembly about the CAT's, his droning making Sam yawn and Tucker slouch, but Danny was quite intent with his gaze on the balding male before him.

"Your future is carved with a #2 pencil," he said, serious as he pulled out said item.

"Not for everyone," Sam grumbled, Tucker voicing his agreement. Danny shot them a look with a word of silence before turning back to listen. Sam didn't get it, but then again, she was passing her classes and while Tucker was almost in the same running, not that he cared, Danny was barely squeaking by. He wasn't failing, but this test was a good portion of your grade. It was strange to the Goth. Danny was smart and without the ghost fighting he should have no problem in school and yet, here they were. As Lancer droned on, Danny looked rather peevish as the male before them bragged about his sister, who was sitting on the stage in a chair with a smile. he hated that she was so smart. He felt so dumb and for him that made him feel too much like his father. He loved his father, but did he have to inherit that sour deal and not like his sister, who had gotten her brains from their mother?

He wanted to be an astronaut and without good grades he would never get to live that dream. On the other side was a guy named Irving. He was the lowest scorer on the CAT and thus was the example of what would happen if you failed the test, Danny shuddering at the thought that he would be in those shoes if he didn't pass. His parents would be disappointed in him as well. Another mark against him. He glanced back at his friend, Sam. She was rich so her family could buy anything she wanted and while she hated that about her family he wished he could be where she was. The Goth in question raised her eye brow at him, but he just shook his head and turned back as Irving claimed that working at Nasty Burger required brains.

Danny scoffed at that thought, Sam frowning at his sudden attitude change. She couldn't tell what was going on with him, but she had a feeling it had to do with those tests. "I could tutor you," she said, her hand falling on his shoulder. That could work, but he wasn't sure she could handle all of that on top of ghost hunting and her own schooling. "Unless you don't want me to," she said with a slight feeling of hurt that he looked so skeptical. He shook his head, agreeing that he wouldn't mind getting a bit of tutoring. As Lancer walked off they group of kids dispersed, Sam walking by Danny, telling him she would see him later at his home.

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As soon as school ended Sam headed for him, her walk uneventful, but that was a good thing. She needed some free time to help Danny with his test and while it probably would have been better for him to come home with her she figured that with what had happened just yesterday that if another ghost attacked at her home she would be screwed. No, it was better for her to just go home, grab a few things for the test and then head over to Danny's home. Speeding up, she turned a corner and ran smack into Skulker, the hunting ghost looking rather pleased to see her as he threw a net at her. Thinking quickly she went intangible, disappearing down under the concrete before coming up around the other corner of him.

"Sorry Danny," she whispered as she went ghost before heading out into the fray.

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In Fenton Works, Danny waited for his Goth friend to show up, his sister hanging around behind him as he started his practice test, but she just wouldn't allow him the freedom to work, her shadow looming over him and with the sounds she made as he went to mark a bubble. He was just so tired of knowing that she was smarter than him, but he still tried to ignore her as he went to mark another bubble.

She made another sound and he sighed in frustration. Glancing at her and then the clock he noted it had only been about ten minutes since he had left school and while Sam wasn't that far away, he assumed that something must have happened at her house. Maybe her mother had gone off on her again or maybe she ran into trouble with a ghost. It sucked not having his powers, but he realized how it must have been every time he found himself in trouble without either of them next to him. He never had a way to contact them when he was fighting, but Sam had always seemed to know where he was or the ghost would cause so much trouble that it was hard to miss. He looked out the kitchen window just as his parents came rushing by, a quick word about a ghost and they were out the door.

He felt the urge to run to go with them, knowing that if there was a ghost than Sam was likely with them, but his sister shook her head with a simple touch on his shoulder. Scowling at her he jumped up and ran after his parents, but they were already gone, the RV gone from the parking spot. Damn, he couldn't fly after them and he couldn't tell where she was fighting. What could he do?

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Clockwork watched Sam fight Skulker, his mind trying to figure out why this girl would turn to the evil side. She wasn't doing anything, but protecting herself at the moment as the metal man attacked her, attempting to catch her. Why did they think she would turn evil? He watched the screen for a moment, still unsure why this girl would turn against her own town. He disappeared from the spot with a plan to stop her, destroy that which would destroy the world if she was allowed to live.

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Sam flew away from Skulker, shooting blasts as she spotted the Nasty Burger, Lancer sitting out front with his food. She flew up higher when she came across a small child, a ghost that she had never met before. This little girl glowered at her, her body glowing as food from below flew up to met her little body.

"Oooookay, sooooo who are you?" she asked, Skulker coming from the other side of the street, Sam dodging another blast. "Never mind!" She sped away, worried that she was going to find herself in an early grave if she didn't have help soon. Neither one of her friends knew she was here and she had no time to contact them either. That's when it came to her, what the guy from Nasty Burger had at the assembly. Turning downward she rushed into the fast food establishment, her eyes searching for what she needed as people ran around her and out the door, even the employees were trying to leave as Irving told them that they couldn't. As she spotted the packets she rushed to grab a handful, her two playmates crashing thru the ceiling.

As Skulker came at her from one side and the child on the other she threw the packets, one of them embedding in the small girl's hairnet while the other was blasted out of the sky by Skulker. It was just the move she was looking for, but not the expecting to be so volatile as the explosion that happened blinded her. She quickly went intangible, her body flying back thru the wall before she went thru Lancer, his suitcase held up to protect himself from the blast that rocked the ground. The Nasty Burger lay before her smoking. Frowning she wondered where the two ghost had gone, but knowing that she was at least safe she went to take a step to look around, her foot knocking something. Noting that she was alone she de-transformed before reaching down for the strange necklace, a CW overlapping in the middle.

"Hmmm, what the hell is this?" she wondered when she heard the sound of paper flapping around behind her. She almost dismissed it until it moved into her vision with the small gust of wind. Frowning at the envelope she found her mouth falling open. She would have to find a way to return that back to Lancer, but as she still had time to head over to Danny's home she stuffed it in her backpack before rushing off. She had wanted to grab a few books to help her friend, but she could just as easily find the information online with his computer at the house.

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Clockwork stood before the glass again, still unsure what she would turn against the world for. Was it this test? He would have to wait to see what happened, especially when the ghost he had sent to destroy her had failed. The fact that she was able to get away from the two ghosts was rather surprising. He had almost not sent the child, but he figured that the chances would be higher if there were two against the halfa.

"Destroy her now," one of the Observants commanded. Clockwork said nothing as he pushed a button on his staff, a clock on the top, and watched all the scenes before him... all of them that led to what happened, but what he saw wasn't the girl cheating, but her friend, the one that died in the blast right before his eyes.

"She has locked in her future, her own misjudgment the means of her end," he said with a wicked looking smirk.

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Sam showed up at Danny's home a few minutes later, her apologies quick as she followed him back to his kitchen. "Skulker got me on the way home and then another ghost showed up to assist." At her look he wondered what was so strange about that. They had fought multiple ghosts before. Noticing his look she explained about the other ghost, his own brow raising at the description.

"That sounds like a mini Lunch Lady," he pointed out. She looked thoughtful for a moment. He was right. The small child had looked like the first ghost they had officially fought, Tucker having pointed her out when Danny had been the halfa. Shrugging it off since she was done fighting the strange child she sat down her bag just as another breath of air informed the duo that she had another visitor. She frowned as she took off for the door, informing Danny that she would be back in a few minutes, especially if it was Skulker. "I can hel-"

"Danny, he got caught in the explosion so he should be a little weaker. You need to worry about your test," she stated before transforming and heading out of the house. Danny sat back down, scowling at the papers before him, the pencil still on the floor. His sister had gotten the clue that he didn't need her help since Sam was coming to help him out and had left him to his own devices. He recalled that she was going to bring some study material and wondered if she had managed to grab it before coming to help him. Leaning down he opened her bag, his eyes narrowing on the envelope in her bag. Curious he pulled it out to find that it was the answer guide, the food from the attack still on it.

'This would make it so easy,' he thought, his mind running over the possibility that he could pass this test with little to no problem, but then he thought of what Sam would say to him and he had taken it out of her bag. He was stuck in that thought process, but before he could do anything the door burst open and without a second thought he shoved it under his papers as Sam appeared, her breathing harsh. "You okay?" Smiling at him she nodded.

"It was just as I thought," she said as she returned to her seat and for the next few hours they studied, that was until her father called her home. Groaning she grabbed her bag without even noticing that it was open before rushing out. Danny frowned at the papers before him, the information that Sam had been giving him still not sticking. He moved the papers aside, his blue eyes locked on the answer sheet.

"Why shouldn't I cheat?" he wondered aloud. Sure, he hadn't been fighting ghosts in a long time, but he still had helped on a number of occasions and shouldn't that count for something? He had been failing because he had been helping his town and while Sam had been doing that same thing, she wasn't failing like he had been, but Sam was like his sister. She was smart. Hell, she was waayy ahead of the class. He continued to eye the packet as if it could give him the answer to his quandary.


	40. Chapter 40

The next morning found a rather irate Goth walking over to her friends. She had no proof that Danny had taken the answer sheet, so when she approached the lockers to talk to him she noted off the bat that he seemed to avoiding her gaze. "Hey, Danny, did you see an envelope at your house? I had one in my backpack and last night it disappeared." Tucker raised a brow at the story that followed about said missing envelope. "Yeah, I found it behind me after the attack. Figured that when I was thrust out of the building by the explosion that I must have hit Lancer's briefcase." Both turned to Danny. He scowled back at them.

"Why shouldn't I use it?" he inquired to their surprise. Slamming his locker, the former halfa walked off. He felt a little bad for snapping at them, but he was still mulling over the thoughts that had gone thru his mind yesterday. He didn't wait to fail the test and he knew his only chance to pass was with that answer sheet.

As they were walking by the teacher's lounge, Lancer having just opened the door a crack to head out, Sam said, "Danny, you need to give them back. You can't cheat just because you have the means to do that." The balding teacher stepped back, a brow raised as the group headed on, the voice of Tucker reiterating what Sam had said. Danny grumbled under his breath at his two friends. "We still have time to study." He shot her a look, that look holding her on the spot, that was filled with disbelief. "What?" Her eyes grew wider for a moment as she realized what he was saying before those amethyst orbs narrowed. "Oh, so just because I fi-"

"Sam, you know it's true," he responded, cutting her off. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but you can't help me study and fight ghosts." Sam looked to Tucker for help. The techno-geek shrugged his arms. "I didn't say I use them anyway," he grumbled. "I'll turn them in later." Sam wanted to ask him why he didn't just give them to her, but decided that school probably wasn't the best place to be seen with said material, so instead responded differently.

"We can talk about this later," the Goth teen said with a look to her bag. "After all, we still need to figure out that thing I told you about." The two males nodded, as they had heard about the strange necklace that Sam had found on the ground after the ghosts had disappeared, with only one of them coming back for more.

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Lancer turned and opening the briefcase before him found that it was indeed empty of the answer sheet, his cry of, "Great Caesar's ghost!" echoing around him. Narrowing his gaze at the empty space, the teacher made a note to talk to Danny's sister about what he had heard. He was sure the raven haired male had the answers, but without proof at that moment he could do nothing, but maybe scare the boy into giving them back or wait until after the test and see if Danny had used what he seemed to have.

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Later that day after school found all three teens on the floor of Danny's room, the small necklace on the floor hooked up to Tucker's PDA, as he moved his fingers across the screen. "This is like super high tech," the male stated as the pair watched. "I can't seem to hack into it." They were disappointed, but even Sam knew that something was off about the ghost that had appeared to assist a ghost not known for taking all that much help, much less from a child.

"It looks rather futuristic," she stated.

"And you did say that there was a child ghost there that you have never seen before," Danny pointed out. Tucker listened as they explained about the mini lunch lady like ghost that Sam had run into. "Strange to think that there's a child ghost of an-" Tucker gagged and the other two realized that if that child had been the spawn of the Lunch Lady, then that meant she had proc- "Ew." Sam leaned back for a moment, her eyes on the medallion before them. Pulling open his backpack, Danny removed the test answers, Sam and Tucker looking at each other before throwing him a look.

"I thought you weren't going to cheat?" Tucker asked. Danny didn't really have an answer. He wasn't the Phantom anymore, but he really could use the boost of his grades since they would plummet after this test. He just hadn't been able to wrap his mind around a good portion of the information on the practice test and with the thought that even that wasn't a valid excuse he got defensive.

"You two said the test was meaningless, so why are you so upset with me wanting to use this?" he asked, holding it up. The techno-geek looked to Sam, but she was wondering why her friend would even dream about taking the easy way out. He had never really done that before and while she knew that she really had no say in it she shook her head at the other teen.

"Not his mother, so not like I can tell him not to cheat," she muttered. Danny smiled, though still uneasy about what he was planning to do. He still was pulling the tab when Sam released a blue puff of mist, her eyes going wide with the other two as Danny dropped the packet. Rushing to transform, the trio found themselves with a rather new looking ghost before them. Well, he looked a little new to them, but upon looking closer Danny was the first to realize that this wasn't an unfamiliar face. Sam rushed at the male ghost, her body slamming him into the wall, but not before he blasted her off of him seconds later.

"Who are you?" Danny asked, though he had an idea with the eyes that were looking back at Sam, though the body looked different. He didn't even look over at Danny, but he did respond as he smirked down at Sam. She didn't like this. She too could now see that the male before her was a ghost that they all knew, but not in that body.

"I am Skull-Tech 9.9," he stated, leaning closer to her. "The future ghost world's greatest hunter." That's when they all noticed that there was another face on the body of Skulker, that of Technus, the head pointing out that he was the operating system for the ghost hunter. All three teens looked shocked to think that the pair had come together, but a slight look of fear crossed Sam's face when he busted out seven extended grabbers before she went intangible to get the ghostly male out of Danny's room. Not only because she feared what he could do to her friends, but because of the fact that Danny's parents would wonder why there were two ghosts in his room as well. Taking the futuristic ghost out onto the streets she was tossed off, the grabber on one side coming down to slam her, her small body moving as quick to move out from under his grasp. Another one struck her, the feeling of her body being crushed forcing a scream from her lips.

She just wasn't fast enough for the combination of the pair, but she still tried to fight, kicking out to knock the grabber on her body. She managed to bend it, but another one came around her neck, cutting off the air flow, while he pulled her to him. "Ah, so I finally have my prize. Say good night, brat." Another grabber appeared lower, next to her stomach, the fingers of it swirling faster until it became like a mini circular saw.

"Crap," the female half muttered, her mind trying to figure out how she was going to get out of this one when the sound of beeping brought all three of them to a stand still, Skulker looking to his wrist with a rather annoyed look. Sam was thrown back as the ghost before her found himself off again, like the several times that Tucker had managed to detour the ghost with his PDA. She looked over as the pair of teens came out of Danny's house, Tucker looking rather surprised that his trick has work again.

"I don't know if I should be upset about that or glad," Tucker stated with a frown, Danny shooting him a look before Sam took to the air again, her hunt for the strange new partners on. Below her stood Lancer, insinuating that Danny had the test answers, his tired gaze on Jazz as she defended her brother. She did wonder how her brother could have managed to get the answers out of the locked, always attached to his arm, briefcase, but then again Danny wasn't one to cheat so why did Lancer think he was?

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Sam watched the partners fight with each other, the perfect chance to strike and strike she did, a green blast coming out to hit them right in the chest. It was just too easy as they fell from the skies and right down in the Nasty Burger, a crash that knocked them right down the middle of the ceiling. Sam rushed to try and get them, but the new Skulker was faster, a quick blast that hit her in the chest, knocked her back and when she thought that maybe it was weak she found herself de-transforming, her body falling from the skies.

"No!" she cried, her power flickering around her as she reverted back to the Phantom. Were they taking her powers? She didn't have really enough of them to fight back as it was, so this wasn't good. She needed to get rid of them and fast! She took to trying to strike them, but with that previous hit, her powers refused to work and the blast came out weak as they returned fire. Another blast had her falling again, her arms flailing out for something, or someone, to save her. Unfortunately for her Tucker and Danny were just coming onto the scene as Skulker grabbed her from the air with a another arm, this one attached to what appeared to be a thick metal belt.

"You are so much weaker than that other Phantom we have to fight," Techus spat with a laugh. Skulker joined in, his body sparking the belt around her body with such zap that she felt as if her body were not her own, the weightless feeling of her head making it all blurry. When it seemed that all was lost the other teens came to her aid, though not before Skulker added his two cents.

"Say good-bye to your future!" Beep. "What the hell?" He looked down to see the beam from Tucker's PDA on his body just seconds before his body seemed to crash, his form falling from the air with a thud just feet from where they were.

"Tucker, come on!" Danny cried as he grabbed to the top of the belt around Sam, the Goth still looking a little dazed as Tucker joined in grabbing the other side of the belt. "Sam?" he inquired when he noticed that she was still off in La La Land. Blinking, the trio found themselves engulfed in a bright blue light before they were pulled from the spot with a cry. Following the future robot of Skull-Tech the trio was pulled thru a familiar glass, the robot releasing Sam upon impact. As Tucker got up, Danny ensuring that the Goth was okay, they looked around them, the glass still reflecting their time.

"Where are we?" Danny asked, the other two silent as they gazed around what appeared to be a clock tower. The sound of said clock ticking could be heard in the silent space as Tucker headed for a window with Danny and Sam right on his tail. "It looks like the Ghost Zone, but I don't recognize this part of the Zone." Tucker noted that on the wall were necklaces like what Sam had shown them.

"I think I know how we can get back," he stated, pointing to the wall where said items were located. As he was picking up one, Danny noted the glass that they had come from was now just static, an image flickering in the midst of it. When nothing happened to Tucker upon placing the accessory on his neck, he groaned. "Nothing."

"I don't know, something is off about all this," Sam stated, her gaze moving to look around the tower again. "I'm not sure if I like this, not with ghosts from the future coming for my head." Would this have happened to Danny had he been in this part still?

"It doesn't get any better," the raven haired male stated, the former halfa still looking at the screen as it became clearer, the form of Sam, older, before his eyes striking at the cars below her as she chuckled. Sam came to his side, Tucker with her as they noted that it said 'Ten Years In The Future' below the image. Her white hair was longer, some of it tied back as it floated around her. She was striking buildings, people, cars, really anything she saw before her eyes. The Goth in question moved closer, her fingers reaching for the screen when the female in the glass turned to stop, eying the carnage around her, and began to laugh. It was a dark laugh, but what got her was her eyes. They were like looking into two pools of blood. She felt a shudder up her spine. "Your future doesn't look all that great," he said now, turning to his friend. He could see in her eyes the disbelief and he too didn't want to believe that Sam would turn into the maniacal woman before them, but something told him that this glass wasn't lying to them.

Before them more scenes of destruction occurred, the arm coming to fight the evil Phantom before them, but she just opened up her mouth, a rippling power of purple with a loud wail knocking all of the humans before her back. All their equipment was no match for what sounded like Sam to be a wail of despair. Tanks and helicopters were blown away, cop cars were tossed away, her older self smirking, but she could see it. It was a look that she recognized. This woman before her was evil, yeah, that was rather obvious, but her gaze was shuttered and cold. What had happened to her that would have led her to this kind of future? Danny, on the other hand was rather surprised with the new power, his own thoughts on what she had been thinking earlier. Would he have been where Sam was in the image? Did that mean he could have ended up with such a power. Again, he found himself missing having his powers, but at the same time he wondered what could have made Sam go to the dark side...well to the evil side. Sam was a Goth and as a Goth was known to be rather dark, but he couldn't see her doing this.

Tucker was about to try and gain some insight from the downed Skull-Tech before him, but before he could do that the body was gone, thrust into the glass where future Sam was still destroying things, a ghost floating down before them. "Who are you?" Danny and Sam asked, both noting that this male before them was not a ghost they had ever run into while Tucker stayed silent. He too, was taking in the appearance of the ghost with a grandfather clock body that seemed to change ages every few seconds. The ghost smirked, Sam finding that it wasn't an evil one, but not a nice one either.

"Introductions?" he queried with another change of his body. "I suppose you should know the one that is out to destroy you so that," he said, pointing at the screen as his body became an old man. "Doesn't happen." Sam's mouth fell open, fear flickering in her gaze as both of her friends glanced over at her. Danny wasn't happy about it and yet with him as a human there was no way for him to stop it from happening.

"Why would I turn into that?" Sam inquired. "I mean, I know that I can be dark, but I would never turn evil." He seemed to agree, but still glowered at her. She didn't want to fight him and yet, she knew that if she didn't than she could be killed. She wasn't ready to die, not when she didn't even get a chance to tell Danny how she felt. She looked at him now, noting that he was pissed off. He knew that she was right, didn't he?

"I do not know, child, but I have been given a task and as you all have seen too much as it is, you must all be destroyed." Sam glowered at him. There was no way that she was going to allow him to harm her friends, even as more of him appeared from different times and in different outfits. "Just accept your fate. There is nowhere else to go." Recalling that there had to be something special about the necklace around his neck Tucker grasped two more as Danny yanked Sam closer to him. She almost refused to go, worried that if the male before her struck at her that he could get caught in the crossfire. Tucker thrust the necklaces into their hands as Danny noted that the glass behind them was still on the future and as they had just come from that same glass pulled Sam and Tucker with him toward the future, the one that wasn't too bright. Getting where he was going, and while apprehensive with the knowledge that her evil side was there, she grasped both of them and flew off into the large glass.

Clockwork just smirked. He wondered how well the girl would fare against her more powerful and evil self from the future. Would her future self do all the work for him?


	41. Chapter 41

The trio were dropped on the other side, the sight before them rather disheartening. Around them was their town, but this town had seen better days with all the destruction that lay before them. There were holes in the roads around them, the buildings were crumbling to the ground and there wasn't a soul around them. Not a sound around them, no birds, bugs or any form of life. Tucker was the first to speak while Sam floated over to what was left of a building with Danny standing there, his wide blue eyes taking it all in.

"If this is what the future holds, than there is no reason to even take that test," he stated, standing to walk over to Danny. "What do you think happened?" Sam turned back to them, her eyes shuttered, but she looked upset.

"I did this," she muttered. They had seen the screens, but to know how bad it really was was rather heart clenching. To think that she had done this because of something in the past, in the time that they were in, was confusing. What had happened to cause her to go crazy? Before she could dwell on that thought a blast knocked her back, a net with a glowing pink power, wrapped around her before taking her to the ground. "What?" Looking forward she found herself face to face with Tucker. The male before her was older, a man in his own right, he was on the board that Valerie had used before, the one that she had hunted Danny down in before Sam had changed his role.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice cold. "Haven't you done enough?! Killed enough people who were innocent?" Sam blinked. She knew what he was talking about because of what they had seen, but she wasn't sure all of what she had done since she wasn't from this time. "You think that looking like this will fool me again?!" The large bazooka looking weapon in his hand began to glow again, the muzzle of the weapon pointed at the downed teen. "Th-"

"Stop!" Danny and Tucker cried as they came to stand before Sam, Tucker taking in the form of his older self before him.

"Danny?" the techno-geek whispered in confusion, his teal eyes watering before he turned to his younger self. "How are you alive? You died!" Tucker turned to his best friend, Sam following his motion, her own eyes wide with tears. Her friend, her best friend was dead in this time?!

"I'm d-dead?" the former halfa whispered, his heart clenching. How had he died? When had he died? Sam looked back over at the older Tucker and she wondered if he knew such information.

"Definitely no reason to take the test now," Tucker muttered. His older half looked to him, recalling that he had seen Danny alive that last time when it had come to the test.

"That was the last time I saw you, Danny," he stated. "You had just taken the test." The older Tucker turned toward Sam, his weapon raised toward her again. "And she is the one responsible for it all!" Suddenly a purpled streak of light, an energy blast came from the other side of Danny, and knocked the older Tucker away. Three pairs of eyes turned to see Sam, the older Sam with glowing red eyes that narrowed while her lips twisted into a smirk.

"Actually, I did that," she stated, almost proudly. "And you will eventually do that." Landing before them, Sam's eyes moved toward Danny before quickly noting that all three of them were teens. "Ah, Danny," she said, seeming to forget the other male before her. "Been about ten years since I saw you." Danny could hear an almost remorseful tone to her voice, but before he had time to think about it he and Tucker were frozen, her hand coming up with a purple aura moving around her palm. "What do I owe this blast from the past to?" She noted the necklaces around all three of their necks. "Ah, so my little friend, Clockwork, is the reason." She moved to stand before Danny, his blue eyes watching her with unease. This woman before him wasn't his friend. She was colder, her eyes shuttered and her tone hateful. "If I had any humanity in me, this would be a moment of happiness..." A blast knocked her back, not powerful enough to do any damage, but enough to get her away from the three teens.

She turned to see Tucker in the doorway, his eyes narrowed at her. She almost paid him no heed as she knew she could kill him whenever she so desired, but she was more interested in dealing with the three teens. When Tucker tossed three bombs at her though, the dark form of Sam growled before she was off, taking the dark skinned male down with ease. "You must have a death wish," she hissed, her hand wrapped around his neck tighter. "You were always so afraid of all the ghosts, and yet you seem to have grown some balls in the last several years."

The teen Sam couldn't take looking at what her future self was doing and with a cry of anger she was out of the net, her body moving to stop her future self from killing their friend. Sam knocked into her, removing the threat as Tucker fell to the ground. "Get out of here!" was all she said before flying after the dark Sam in pursuit. The older Tucker moved to aid the other two teens instead, throwing them under his arms before rushing off. Dark Sam noted them, but before she could do anything Sam started throwing blasts at her to keep her future self from harming her friends. Unfortunately for her her older self was far more powerful and with a single hit knocked her from the skies before rushing after the trio, now duo as Danny told the older male to get away.

Tucker listened to his advice since they were further from Dark Sam and with a quick 'good luck', left the teens to continue on toward a rather destroyed Fenton Works. Dark Sam just smirked, her eyes flashing before she opened her mouth to release the wail that all three had seen at Clockwork's tower, the echo of it forcing Sam to cover her ears, her eyes closing in pain from the force of the attack. Wincing, she opened her eyes, forcing herself to move when she noted that the attack wasn't on the two teens, but on the large OP's structure above Fenton Works, as the teens rushed under it. Crying out, she tried to go to their aid only for her older self to yank her back by the leg, her eyes watching in frozen fear as the large structure fell on top of Tucker and Danny.

"Nooooo!" she cried out just seconds before a blast ripped thru her body, the pain of the attack forcing her to de-transform. With her momentarily dazed and drained her older self used her like a bat, hitting her into the ground several times before thrusting her in the direction of where her two friends had been. She groaned, moving her head to look around the spot as blood dripped down her head. Even with her blurred vision and the headache throbbing in her skull she noticed the two necklaces on the ground, a smile twisting her lips. They had gotten away and with that thought she went to remove her own, ready to join her friends in their own timeline, but it was not to be as her older self grabbed her by the back of her neck.

"Ah, what do you think you're going to do? Stop this future?" She let out a dry chuckle. "He's doomed and while Tucker might live to see the light of day..." she faded off with a shrug. "Well, all that matters is that Danny doesn't." Grasping the necklace with her hands, the older Sam made it intangible before thrusting it into the chest of her younger self. Sam released a whimper of pain, the feeling of the object being thrust into her body forcing her to faint as the older Sam laughed. "You won't be going anywhere, except for down the same road and into our future."

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Tucker and Danny appeared next to the Nasty Burger, the sight of the structure assuring the former halfa that they were back in their time, but that Sam was not. He glanced over at Tucker, the dark skinned male still cowering before he too noted that they were no longer in danger.

"Oh, so you removed the necklaces," he said with a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, but Sam's still back in the future at the mercy of her dark self," he muttered. "We have to help her."

"How? We can't d-" The former halfa growled at him, frustrated that he was right about that. There was no way to go back and help their friend and without knowing what could be happening he felt bereft. Sam had always stood by his side, coming to his aid whenever he needed her. Hell, she had taken up the mantel for him so he wouldn't have to go thru it all again, but he couldn't do anything to help her. If he had known that she was going to have to go thru such an ordeal he found that he would rather he did it instead. It wasn't because she was weak, but because she had already gone thru so much in her life with her own parents and didn't deserve an even darker future. Still, what had happened to take her to that point? He had died, but would Sam have turned evil because of his death?

"Danny?" came a feminine voice from around the corner of the fast food structure. He felt hope bloom that it was Sam, even Tucker turned with a look of relief only to find that Jazz was standing there and she looked peeved. "We need to ta-"

"Not the time, Jazz," the raven haired male muttered, ready to head past her when she reached out to grab his arm.

"No, it is the time or maybe mom and dad with Lancer need to open your eyes." This brought him to a stop, his eyes narrowing at his sister. What was she talking about? Then it hit him. She knew something... but what? "Glad to see that I have your attention. You need to return the answer sheet. I know that you are planning to cheat and while I have no idea how you got that in the first place, it's not the right idea."

"I wasn't go-"

"I'm not stupid, Danny," she fumed. "If you weren't going to use it then why did you take it in the first place?" He didn't have an answer for her, not right now that wouldn't betray Sam's role in getting it and the way it had come around. Sure, he had considered cheating, but with all that was going on with Sam now he had forgotten that envelope and the test in general.

"Look, there's something more important at stake right now," Danny spat back. When she raised her brow he continued, "I can't get into that right now, but I promise I won't cheat." Shaking her head at him and with one final warning she was off. Tucker turned to Danny with confusion. "We need to figure out what caused Sam to go rogue."

"What if it had to do with you cheating on the test?" the other male inquired. Danny shook his head. There was no way that the reason she went evil was because of him and that test. Sam had been helping him with that test and even if he did cheat then why did that cause such a dark future with him dead and Sam killing and destroying Amity? That made no sense.

"I don't think so," was his response. "Me cheating wouldn't have made her turn evil and then as for my death... why would I die just because I cheated?" Neither boy had the answer.

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Sam awoke, her vision still blurry and her head pounding to find herself looking at Danny, her parents scowling behind his still form. It was a statue of the three of them before her and while she cared not for her parents, she had never wished for their death. It wasn't even them that caused her heart to clench. It was Danny, his smile causing tears to gather in her eyes. Below them were the words 'Gone, but not Forgotten.' She almost chuckled at that. Her parents could never be forgotten, not with all that they had donated in the past to keep their name alive since as the only child her name would change. It was the fact that Danny was in that group.

She knew that his family would never forget him and she would never forget him as he was a part of her heart, but why had he died? How had it all happened? She found that she was tied up, the glowing power of the binds a bright purple hue. Looking around she noted that there was a statue of Lancer off to the side and behind him was the Nasty Burger, the structure little more than ruins. What this where it happened? She knew she had done damage to the building during her last fight, but it hadn't been this bad.

"Ah, yes, the Nasty Burger, the final resting place of Danny and your parents," came a dark voice, Dark Sam stepping out from the shadows of the building. "A little heat on those secret sauces and BOOM, there goes your bright future." She frowned now. "Not that it was all that bright since our love for the former halfa was never to be reciprocated." Sam gasped. "You know that he could never be with us and yet we never stopped following him." She shook her head now. "Still he didn't deserve that fate, but now that I have had time to think about it, maybe it was for the best that he was gone..."

"You don't mean that! If you are truly me then you would never want Danny harmed!"

"Not that it matters now," the older Sam stated. "I will return to your time while you get to reacquaint yourself with the Ghost Zone, not that there is anything in there any more. I will ensure that my future as the one that reigns down Karma on all those that were responsible for all the pain dealt to all of us, are dead and gone. I was always alone and even now, I find that being alone is the best path for us." Picking up Sam, the older Goth smirked, changing before her eyes into her younger form as her human half, before thrusting the other Sam into a portal that opened up. Once the younger one was gone, Dark Sam opened up a time portal. "I loved him, but I would have ended up alone and soon you will see that it is all for the best. No more pain, no more heartbreak."

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When Dark Sam appeared in the past, she found herself looking at the inside of the Nasty Burger, the side of the large structure that was open to viewing due to the large hole left from the battle. Smirking she turned away with a thought of how easy it was going to be to keep her future on track, Clockwork watching from the glass, assured that the girl had been returned to her time and that she looked nothing like the evil one that he had been told would happen. He still had yet to figure that out, but turning away he failed to see all that transpired at that moment as Danny and Tucker rushed to her side. Tucker pulled her into a hug and once he released her Danny pulled her close, failing to notice the emotions that flickered in those amethyst orbs.

'How I missed this time,' she thought, but brushed it aside as Tucker spoke and Danny released her.

"Did you get rid of that scummy evil version of you?" he asked, her eyes flashing red for a second. Sure, she was evil and while that shouldn't have bothered her since it was Tucker after all, she still was ticked off at his words.

"Even when you ticked me off, I still miss that mouth of yours," the Goth whispered, her voice harsh and yet reminiscing as she eyed the pair now staring at her with strange looks. "I got rid of her, don't you worry about that. She will never be bothering us again." She smirked, Tucker relaxing, but Danny watched her with such an intense gaze that she said, "Who wants to head to my place for a night of movies and video games?" That seemed to work as he smiled at her and the three of them headed off.


	42. Chapter 42

Sam didn't know what she would do, especially with all the ghosts in the Zone that hated her, but when she ran into that she would figure it out from there. Looking down upon herself, the constraints from the older Sam still wrapped around her, she powered up and with her transformation tried to free herself. Struggling with the bonds she noted that not only could she not free herself, but the Ghost Zone looked different and quiet. There was not a sound from her in the area that had once been bright green that was now a murky swamp green. She looked around as she floated, her constraints long forgotten as she wondered as to where all the ghosts were, not that she wasn't happy to be left alone, but it was eerie to be in such a silent space that had once been so full of...well life. It was like when they had been in Amity, the future bleak without any of the normal sounds of their city.

How was she going to get out of this and what was her future self going to do that would ensure the death of her family and Danny? How would all of this play into her becoming someone evil enough to wipe all of Amity off the map?

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That Sam was in her house now, alone with Danny and Tucker having gone home a few minutes prior. She had an idea of what she was going to do, but with the answers to the test in Danny's house she would have to go over there and take them. He would notice her there, unless she came up with a plan to make him bring them to the school the next day. Smirking she picked up her phone, the device feeling strange after so many years without it, and dialed her friend.

"Hey, Danny," she said, trying to sound like her younger self. She had a feeling that her friend had an inkling as to the fact that she wasn't who she was portraying, but she cared not since he wouldn't exist soon enough. "Are you going to turn in that answer sheet?" When she got nothing from him she continued, "I'm not your mother or anything, but you should at least turn it back in since I would hate for that future that we saw to happen."

"Yeah, I didn't like that future at all, but how will I do that without getting caught?" She had him.

"You could give it back to me and I could return it to the briefcase," she pointed out, sounding as helpful as she could without laughing at how easily she could get him to do what she wanted. When he agreed they made plans to meet before school so she could get the sheet from him. Hanging up after him she let out a laugh. This was working all according to plan.

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The next morning found the pair with Tucker standing by as lookout. Sam watched as he took the packet out of his hand, but before he could hand it back to her, she split and one of her clones entered him. Tucker scowled as he turned at the cry from the raven haired male. His eyes grew wide when it all hit him that the Sam they had been hanging with wasn't the good one. She turned her gaze on Tucker, a smirk twisting her lips.

"Ah, the last to know, but know this Tucker," she hissed. "You lived to fight another day." That being said she walked off, Danny following close behind her as they headed into the school. Tucker knew that she had just threatened him and yet he followed behind them, keeping close enough to let her know that he didn't like what she was doing, the urge to tell on her almost as strong as the urge to stay back. He wasn't that brave and he didn't want to die, not yet, though in the future it didn't look like he had much of a life.

"You're not going to get away with this," he stated instead as they grew closer to the door to Lancer's room. "Danny won't let you control him long enough to do this." She chuckled.

"He did it before, and that was without me overshadowing him." With that she entered the room. He reached for Danny, hoping to shake the other male out of the stupor, but the former halfa moved quickly, staying close to the one that was controlling him. Tucker didn't know what to say. Sam would never have used her powers like this and while he didn't know what she would have done to another person that had pissed her off, he knew she loved the former halfa and would never use him in such a way especially knowing that it might be what ended up leading to his death. How could he help when he had no way to move? He was in a stalemate.

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Sam, still stuck in the Ghost Zone, was growing more and more upset. Her mind kept replaying all that happened so far... Danny taking the test answers from her. His death. The attacks to kill her. All of it and the worry that he would end up dead because of her making her small form shake as tears tried to leak out from her amethyst orbs. She just couldn't seem to do anything to protect her friend! She should have just done what she had done with the portal and escaped from his side. He was in danger with having met her and while she would be hurt by leaving his side, at least he would be safe.

All of her emotions were fueling her powers, her energy rising up around her in a faint purple color. What more could she do when she had no way to get back and save her friend? She wasn't the one that was supposed to be here, but while she wouldn't change it she knew that Danny had been far more used to his powers and in that was was far more powerful than she. With the last thought of his death flickering before her eyes, the unknown way that he could have passed on and the feelings that she would never get to show to him she felt the tears fall, a cry of remorse and loss leaving her green lips. The wail of her emotions coming to edge and falling over echoed around her like waves, her power enhancing the wail to become the one that she had seen in the images in Clockwork's tower. Her bonds broke around her, but she paid them no mind as she curled up to allow her pain to curl around her.

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In class Danny was busy writing answers down, his own mind shut down as Sam forced his hand. He had thought about cheating, but knowing the future might be impacted by this act he had decided that maybe it was better that he didn't do such a thing and now he was doing it regardless. He tried to fight against her overshadowing, but this Sam was far more powerful, able to subdue him with just a thought as the real one sat next to him doing her own work with a smirk.

'Don't worry, Danny,' she whispered in his mind. 'It will all be over soon. There is nothing left to do but wait for the end.' He struggled again at her words, sure that she would never do such a thing, not knowing that it would kill him, but on that same thought he wondered what would have happened if he had still been the Phantom. Would he have done this even if his friends had been the ones to die? He didn't think he could do that, but he knew that had he been the Phantom his grades might have been worse so he might have cheated to get those grades... to show everyone that he wasn't a loser. 'You did.' At his silence she continued to whisper to him. 'You took the answer sheet from me in my time too. I was upset, but who was I to tell you what to do? Nobody.'

He couldn't answer that. He wanted to argue, but Tucker and Sam had told him not to do it, that it wasn't a good idea, but he hadn't listened, still intent on doing just that to help himself. Sam smiled at his silence, but Tucker whispered to him now, angry at his friends for what was happening.

"Danny, you know that's a bad idea!" Lancer looked up, his eyes narrowing.

"Do you have something you would like to share with the class, Foley?" Tucker looked at Danny, his eyes flicking to Sam for one second, her scowl a reminder of what she could make happen to him and shaking his head he replied in the negative before he sat back to continue his test.

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Sam didn't know what to do now that she was free from her bonds. There was nowhere to go. She was sure that Fenton Works was gone and with it no way to get back home. The necklace was in her body so even if she found a way out of the Ghost Zone she had no way to get back to her time and stop her evil side from doing what it wanted. 'Would you really give up and let your friend die?' Narrowing her eyes she shook her head. She had never given up on Danny and didn't plan on doing it any time soon, but even if she didn't want to give up...what could she do?

Luck was there for her when she noted that off in the distance of the Ghost Zone a rather strange object floated in the distance. "Is that a football?" she asked the space around her and then it hit her. "Vlad!" Why hadn't she thought of that?! Vlad was another person like her that had to have a portal at his disposal! Flying off she felt the hope that she could help her friend swell in her heart. Approaching the ball, she looked around, not that she had a reason to since all the ghosts were gone, but who was to say where Vlad was. She hadn't seen him in the glass, but who was to say that he hadn't gone into hiding upon her evil side coming forth? He was a coward when it all came down to it! Pushing the football aside she found herself looking at a portal and smiling she entered only to find herself in what could only be the ruins of Vlad's home.

"Come to attack an old man?" came a rough voice, the sound of it familiar. She turned toward it to find a desk, the chair turned from her for the moment.

"Who are you?" she asked, only to receive an answer when his chair turned. Before her sat Vlad, well, what was a rather worn out looking male that looked like he could pass for a homeless man. "Vlad? What in the hell happened to you?" He shook his head.

"I could ask the same of you, more of why you are here, in this time?" He looked sad, the circles under his eyes speaking of his weariness. When he noted the look on her face he began to tell a tale that she hadn't even asked for. "They passed peacefully, never really knowing what hit them, but you, Samantha, you found yourself in a world of pain," he stated. "And while I don't know your home life, I do know that you didn't mourn them, not your parents." She said nothing, curious as to what he was telling her. He was telling her how Danny had died. "I tried to help you. You didn't want to be a halfa anymore, not knowing that because of your choice that you would lose the one you held dear."

"What do you know about that?" she asked, venom in her voice.

"Why, Samantha, I know what it's like to love someone from afar, knowing that they would never reciprocate such feelings and the pain that comes from that. I know it all. I used all that was at my disposal to grant you that wish, but it all backfired. Once your ghost was taken out," he paused, his face twisting into one of anger. "It came after me and using those same means tore my ghost from my body as well." He looked sad again. "Your ghost tried to take out my ghost, but in the end the evil of my half was too strong and you were changed. You couldn't control that much hate, even as a Goth you were still a child." That left another question.

"What about my human side?" He looked away now.

"Somethings are better left unsaid." She let those words sink in. The fact that she had inadvertently helped Danny die instead of stopping him and that in the end she had killed her human side because she thought that after she had removed that which she saw as a curse. She had let this evil out and now she was left with all the destruction it had wrought.

"Do you still have those means you spoke of? The gloves?"


	43. Chapter 43

Danny stood up from his desk, the other students, save for Sam, watching him as he walked toward the front of the class, test in hand. Slamming it down on the desk he smirked at Lancer while the teacher in question just frowned. It was like a dead lock between the pair as the former halfa stared down the bald male. "Finished already?" he asked. Danny said nothing for moment before coming back with a comeback.

"You have a problem with that?" The teacher just scowled at him, his gaze flicking down at the packet before him. He looked back up, his eyes narrowing for a moment before he leaned back.

"Not at all," he muttered. Without a word he headed for the door, glancing back once before disappearing from view. Sam smirked from her seat, watching as Lancer took out his phone, his words spoken softly as he conversed with who she knew was one of Danny's parents. It was all going to plan. Finishing her own test quickly she followed his path out the door. Now, what to do with the former halfa? He wouldn't remember that he had taken the test, so she just needed to ensure that he was under her control for just a bit longer, maybe just until the end of the period. Heading for the library where she had instructed her duplicate to go, she found that Danny wasn't under her control and looked rather upset with her, his eyes narrowed at her as she approached him.

"Well, damn," she said with a twist of her purple lips. "Still able to fight back. I would admire that, but it will disrupt my plans." Looking around she flew into him, her own form stronger than her duplicated one.

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In the future, Sam was standing before Vlad, his hands now holding the gloves that he had spoken about. "So, you're telling me that you have a medallion in your body that is holding you to this time," he stated, clarifying what the halfa had told him. She nodded, touching the space where the object had been shoved into her. "And you can't reach it since it was put into you while intangible?" He couldn't understand how that was possible, but given as he had seen what the older Goth had done in his own home, he was inclined to believe the young woman before him.

"Not that I believe you took out my ghost half with good intentions, nasty by the way, but I figure you can use those to remove the necklace." The male before her smirked, his eyes gleaming evilly. "And trust me, if you think that you're going to pull some demented stunt, then know this, Vlad, if I know where you are, then my future half does too." He seemed to think about it for a second before putting the gauntlets on and swiping his hand out at her, her scream echoing in the small space.

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In the past, the Fentons were pulling up at the nearly collapsed fast food structure, Danny standing behind them with a smirk. "Your teacher sounded mad, Danny," Maddie said with a frown. "Is there something wrong?" He didn't move, his words spoken so softly that his mother failed to hear them.

"Nothing at all." As they exited the RV, Sam's father pulled up behind their car, all eyes on the rather worried looking male. His eyes were narrowed, all worry gone as he stomped over to the parents' of the former halfa. "What the fuck?" the raven haired male muttered. Then it struck her. Her parents were supposed to die in this, but only her father was here! It was as if the devil were on her side, because not even two seconds later her mother appeared out of the passenger side of the vehicle. She wondered as to how her mother had gotten out of the hospital so fast, but then again the woman had probably only been under a watch. Her lips twisted back into a smirk.

"Where is our daughter?!" the blond yelled, poking his finger into the lower chest of Jack, his face turning red. He looked at Danny, his scowl deepening. "Your son has done something with our daughter!" Both of his parents looked at him, Lancer clearing his throat in frustration. Neither pair of parents paid him any mind as Maddie turned her attention back on the other two.

"We haven't seen Sam," the ghost fighter remarked. "Danny?" she asked, turning to her son. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Saw her in class, but not since then."

"What is going on here?!" the teacher bellowed, but before anyone could respond in the small group, Tucker came rushing over with what appeared to be a dreamcatcher. He looked out of breath, but Danny glared at him, recalling the device, but not what it did.

"I'll tell you what is going on!" he cried out. Rushing to catch Danny, he slammed the dream catcher down upon the now ticked off male. Before everyone's eyes Danny was freed from Sam, her body still in its human form. The gasps of all around her, save for Tucker, were the only sound for a moment before she began to laugh. The raven haired male stood before her, looking worried. Sam had been exposed and while he knew that if had been the real one from this time, she would have been upset, this one cared less for all of the to know her secret as she disposed of her disguise to appear before them as the one known as Sam Phantom.

"Samantha?" her parents gasped, Maddie and Jack moving to pull their ghost weapons on the woman before them.

"No, I'm some other female that just looks like your child," she spat, distain coloring her tone. "You two were always so fucking annoying, always bossing me around as if I had no brain in my head, but not anymore. This is the end folks and am I glad to say that!" Flicking her hands out all of them, Tucker included with the mass of humans, were thrown away from her and into the floor of the Nasty Burger. Appearing before them, she threw goo over their mouths, her red eyes narrowing at the techno-geek. "You could have lived, hell, you were smart enough to stay out of this the last time, but no, you just had to play the hero." She seemed to find this funny. "Why you chose now to do that, I'll never know."

"Hey!" a voice cried from overhead. Dark Sam looked up as Sam came flying at her. Catching her with a fist to her face, she went on the defense, striking at her future self with all that she could. Danny watched as the two Sams battled, the older one able to strike back multiple times with enough power to knock their Sam into the ground a few times, but she kept coming back. When it seemed safe she came to their side, ready to free them when the older Sam yanked her back, her power bonding the young Goth around the arms and waist. When she was face to face with her future, she growled, "What are you going to do now? Can't kill me since you need me."

"I don't need to kill you," the older Goth spat, glancing back at the people watching with fear in their eyes. "I just need to keep you away from them and then it all falls into place." Striking the young woman down, Sam flying into a light post several feet away. "Then our future is set in stone." Sam phased into the ground when her other side tried to attack, the older Goth striking down the light post that she had been just moments before.

"If you could recall that Danny's parents were quite instrumental in aiding us in the fight against bastards like you, then you should recall this!" Appearing behind the other woman, she placed the Spector-deflector around the slender waist of the older halfa, the other woman falling to the ground with the quick drain of her powers. "Or these bad boys!" Using the gauntlets on her older form, she knocked the other raven haired woman into an oil truck behind her. As soon as she hit the truck, an explosion rocked the city as it burst into flames. Sam went to aid Danny and the others still on the floor of the fast food joint, unaware that her older half was yanking off the belt, her eyes narrowed on the young halfa's back.

She was yanked back, her cry of alarm lost as Dark Sam slammed her into the concrete, her head hitting the hard ground and leaving her vision swimming. Before her eyes, the older Goth multiplied, her voice echoing with each new duplicate. "Your time is up, Sam," she hissed. "It was up ten years ago." The young Goth was knocked around, blasted, and left on the ground shaking in pain and frustration. She couldn't lose this fight! Her parents... Danny's parents...Tucker...Lancer... Danny... They would lose their life if she failed to take down her older self. "What makes you think you can fight me?! What makes you think that you have enough power to change our future?!"

"I may not have been strong enough to do it before, to stop them from dying, but I will protect my friends and that is something that I promised the moment I walked into that portal!" Her older half looked bored with her statement, chuckling at the very words from her mouth.

"You are so fucking delusional! You think that just because you promised something that it means anything?!" Sam growled, pushing herself up on her elbows before getting on her hands and knees. "You are weak! Those emotions and beliefs are what led to this day!"

"Go to Heeeelllll!" she bellowed, her ghostly wail echoing around them, the ground shaking with the power of her cry. The older Goth was thrown back by the power her younger self released. She was in shock that the weak halfa before her could use such a power when it had taken her ten long years to do such a feat. Skidding back, the ground rolling up around her she looked at the other halfa.

"How could you have that power when I didn't get it until ten years in the future?" Sam groaned as she moved toward her older self, her hand on her left side as she wheezed a bit. She knew her ribs were probably broken, but she wasn't going to stop until she was sure the other woman was gone and her friends were safe.

"Because nothing is set in stone!" Releasing another ghostly wail, Dark Sam found herself flying further away from Sam, her body landing in a building across the street with a large truck following her. The building crumbled and collapsed on top of her as Sam found her body de-transforming, all of her energy gone, but once the smoke cleared, the Goth pulled out a thermos and sucked up her older half with a weak smile. As she was turning toward her friends, the sound of the alarm on the sauce filled the air. Eyes wide she tried to run, finding the simple movement hard to do in her current state. She tried to transform, hoping to make it in time to at least turn them intangible, but the power needed to do that was unavailable. She was just feet away when the building blew, her own small form thrown back...

Clockwork appeared on the scene, his red eyes taking in the small woman frozen in midair and the explosion that now stood before him. Smiling he took out a necklace, one that resembled the same one that Vlad had removed from her body. She came to life and flailing for a moment realized that she was still in midair, her eyes immediately seeing the ghost of time, his small childlike form smiling at her.

"Clockwork?" she inquired, the small male pointing at the building, her eyes watering at what she knew she was going to see, only to find that all of them were okay, suspended above the plum of smoke. "You saved them?" she asked in confusion. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful, but she had been under the assumption that he didn't do such a thing... that he wasn't out to help them.

"The Observants only watch, like one would watch a parade, but I get to see it play out from beginning to end before it even starts. I know which way it will or won't go." It became clear to the halfa. He had known. He had known that this would all happen. "It is how it should be." Changing again into his older form, the long white beard moving to expose his staff. "Time in." With a push of the button several clocks appeared around them and Sam found herself in class again, Danny at his desk beside hers. Taking the answer sheet from her desk she looked to Clockwork who just smiled before disappearing. Time resumed around them, Danny looking up at her in surprise as she smiled at him.

"Miss Manson?" Lancer questioned. "Is something wrong?" She turned to him, ready to confess, when Danny stood as well, taking the packet from her hands.

"Yeah, I have something to tell you," Danny said with a solemn look. He approached the desk of the bald teacher. "Sam found this at the Nasty Burger the other day and was going to return it, but I... I took it." The male looked at Sam and she nodded, but Danny just continued, "I should have turned it in, but I opened it. I couldn't help myself from looking at the answers, but I am not a cheater and I never will be." The older male looked surprised at his words, but smiling he responded.

"Well, you will have a chance to prove that when you take the make-up test next week, won't you?" Sam smiled as Danny looked surprised, his look changing to one of joy with the knowledge that he would be given a second chance. Sam was glad that she too had been given a second chance to do things right. She never wanted to find herself in a world without her best friend at her side. Even with the promise of detention the former halfa continued to smile as he sat back down at his desk with only a knowing smile thrown at Sam. She sat down and finished her test as Danny laid his head down to wait for school to end.

The future was going to be a bright one after all.

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And so ends this fanfic. I thought about going further in with all the series, but this was where I felt it should end. I hope that you all enjoyed reading it.


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